NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT HEALTH MINISTER’S CLAIM THAT ABORTIONS ARE “MEDICALLY NECESSARY”
“Why are taxpayers footing the bill?” asks Breitkreuz.

Ottawa – Today, Garry Breitkreuz, M.P. for Yorkton-Melville, threw his support behind the vast majority of his constituents calling on the government to stop public funding of all abortions that aren’t medically necessary. “The demands are pouring into my office and I want everyone to know that I share their concerns and frustration,” said Breitkreuz. “My years of research clearly show that neither the federal or provincial governments have the evidence to support blanket coverage of all abortions.”

Breitkreuz released Health Canada’s responses to five of his Access to Information (ATI) Act requests to prove his point (see links below). “Every time a federal Health Minister made a public statement that all abortions are medically necessary, I had my staff file an ATI request. The Health Department has never been able to produce the evidence to support the claims made in public by their Minister,” reported Breitkreuz.

Breitkreuz also released a summary of responses received by the Parliamentary Pro-Life Caucus demonstrating that the provinces don’t have any evidence either (see link below). For example, the letter from the Saskatchewan Health Minister stated: As for the risk/benefit analysis on abortion, Saskatchewan Health has not conducted any such studies.”

“If no government, federal, provincial or territorial, has completed a risk/benefit analysis on abortion, how can they claim they are all “medically necessary” and “therapeutic”? More importantly, how can they justify funding with public money all abortions if, in some or many cases, the risks outweigh the benefits?” concluded Breitkreuz.

Health Canada letter dated March 8, 2001
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/HealthCanadaLetter.pdf

Health Canada letter dated May 9, 2002
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/HealthCanadaATIResponse_2002_05_09.pdf

Health Canada letter dated October 31, 2002
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/HealthCanadaATIResponse_2002_10_31.pdf

Health Canada letter dated November 12, 2002
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/HealthCanadaATIResponse_2002_11_12.pdf

Health Canada letter dated March 3, 2005
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/HealthCanadaATIResponse_2005_03_03.pdf

Summary of Responses from Eight Provinces
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/issues/abortion/2005_april_provgovresponses.htm

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