A Harper Government Will Put Abortion at Risk for Canadian Women

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - April 25, 2011) - Looking at the record of the federal Conservatives, a woman's right to abortion could be in real danger if there is another Harper government.

"In spite of proclaiming that he will not reopen the abortion debate, his actions speak louder than his words," said Judy Rebick.

Organizations such as International Planned Parenthood, which provides sexual health programs, now find their federal funding in jeopardy, with Conservative anti-choice MPs taking credit. Over twenty national women's groups also have been defunded.

"Harper's G8 maternal health initiative explicitly refused funding for abortions for women internationally, even though a Leger Marketing poll showed that 61% of Canadians supported this," said Carolyn Egan of the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics and the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada. "He ignored the advice of his own experts at CIDA and went forward with this unpopular measure," she said.

After the 2006 election the Conservatives stopped the arbitration process which would have enforced the Canada Health Act and allowed for the funding of clinic abortions in New Brunswick. Women have to pay out of pocket for a procedure that should be covered by the provincial health plan, and have been denied the right to choose.

"Anti-abortion private members' bills have been routinely introduced by Conservative MPs. At least 68% of Harper's caucus is anti-choice, and if they won a majority such bills could easily pass," said Ayesha Adhami of Women Working with Immigrant Women.

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