CIHI publishes 2012 abortion stats and Quebec abortion stats for 2011

CIHI has published 2012 abortion statistics for 2012. As usual the data is incomplete. These numbers do not include abortions performed in private physician's offices and medical abortions. And BC clinic data is incomplete.

(Too bad Ontario's Minister of Health Deb Matthews could care less about accurate data with her laughable response to me that she's: "sorry that the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) was unable to provide you with the statistics you were looking for." You'd think that Ms. Matthews would be embarrassed by the fact that CIHI can't supply us with accurate data. But no. She lives is an alternate universe where her government's ability to produce accurate numbers of abortions is optional...but I digress.)

CIHI has finally published Quebec clinic and hospital induced abortion data for 2011.

Quebec Number of Induced Abortions Reported by Hospitals 10,575**
Number of Induced Abortions Reported by Clinics 15,670**
Total 26,245**

As always, these numbers do not include abortions performed in private physician's offices and medical abortions.

** Ontario (clinic data only) and Quebec (clinic and hospital data) include only induced abortions covered by their respective provincial health insurance plans. Data from all other provinces/territories (including Ontario hospital data) includes all induced abortions, whether paid for by the patient or by a different health insurance plan. For example, patients with coverage under Quebec's health insurance plan receiving care in Manitoba are reported by Manitoba. However, patients with coverage under Manitoba's health insurance plan receiving care in Quebec are not reported (by either Quebec or Manitoba). 

Henry Morgentaler's legacy

For insight into Henry Morgentaler, listen to the CBC interview with Henry Morgentaler back in 2008.

"My inordinate need to be loved by women. I got the impression that my mother didn't love me because there was a younger baby that she devoted a lot of attention to. I personally believe that she neglected me and didn't love me. To be loved by women was emotionally to me very important. 

Being the center of attention validates you. It means I am important. That I do important things. I can be recognized for that."

Never a word about the children he killed through abortion.

What a sad sad man.

He needed women to love him, and couldn't stand the attention his mother gave to a younger baby. So he devoted his life to making sure women got rid of their children, children who, unbelievably, threatened him. That an innocent tiny helpless baby could threaten this man is beyond astounding.

Why couldn't he use his medical ability to support these women through their pregnancies instead of taking the lives of their innocent children?

Now we are left with his legacy of abortion clinics across our country. Clinics that cause death and destruction instead of healing and nurturing. Clinics that were born from his insecurity because of babies. Clinics that we hope and pray will all close one day.

His clinic in New Brunswick is set to close. God willing, it will.

Challenging the extremes

Thank goodness we have a national pro-life group (weneedaLAW.ca) that is always active, on the move, stirring things up, and telling us what they're doing while they're at it.

For instance check out Faye Sonier's legal perspective on the closing of the Morgentaler clinic in New Brunswick.

At the end of the piece Faye has a line that should make the pro-abortions flinch:

"Those who lament the closing of this abortion clinic call themselves "pro-choice." Indeed, "choice" is the governing principle of their movement. "My body, my choice" is the best known slogan. Perhaps they do not realize the conundrum. For if abortion is truly a personal choice, how on earth can it also be medically necessary?"

Indeed. So how do the pro-abortions reconcile "choice" with "medical necessity"? They don't. Because if you choose to have an abortion, then what could be medically necessary about it? And if an abortion is medically necessary, there isn't really a choice at all, is there? Just don't confuse the pro-abortions with the facts, I guess. They might get a headache.

Take action by sending this email to government officials in New Brunswick and Ottawa.

And We Need a Law has also done a great position paper on gestational abortion legislation. It is a logical, coherent and moral analysis on the state of abortion legislation in Canada:

The difference between Legal, Decriminalized and Regulated abortion, & why we support Gestational Limits

The paper ends with a challenge to those who don't agree with gestational legislation, inviting them to explain why:

"...gestational limits would not legalize abortion because it already is legal. We've also argued that saving some does not condone the death of those we cannot yet save. And we've tried to show that all pro-lifers already support legislative efforts that will protect only some children (in this case, the children of poor mothers). 

We want to conclude with a challenge. If you think we are wrong, please address these points one by one and explain why. Be specific. Please show how abortion in Canada is, in any sense, not already completely legal right now. Show how a gestational limit that will protect only some differs morally from a defunding effort that will protect only some. And explain why those who saved Jewish children weren't condoning the death of their parents (who they couldn't save), but today when we try to save some pre-born children (via a gestational limit) we are supposedly condoning the death of the children we aren't able to save.

The truth is whatever you say it is

This is truly frightening. Ruth Farquhar in the Sudbury Star on the closing of the Morgentaler clinic in New Brunswick:

"The New Brunswick government is clearly, from a legal standpoint, in violation of the Canada Health Act. According to a letter addressed to federal Minister of Health Rona Ambrose from NDP Health Critic Libby Davis and NDP Critic of the Status of Women Niki Ashton, "under the Canada Health Act, the provincial and territorial health insurance plans are required to provide coverage for their residents for all medically necessary hospital and physician services. Abortion services have been determined to be medically necessary by all provincial and territorial health insurance plans." And of course, they ask the minister to intervene."

A legal standpoint? What is she talking about? There is no violation of the Canada Health Act (CHA) here.

Why am I reminded of that saying, if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth, and you will even come to believe it yourself? (frequently attributed to Dr. Josef Goebbels, Hitler's Minister of Propaganda or to Adolf Hitler himself)

Ms. Farquahr quotes these MPs who think that the CHA requires that abortions must be publicly funded because they have been "deemed to be medically necessary by all provincial and territorial health insurance plans."

Does Ms. Farquahr think these MPs are some kind of expert on the topic? Because they are not. In fact, Ms. Ashton and Ms. Davies are wrong. And Ms. Farqhar is perpetuating this falsehood by repeating it in her article.

You see, the CHA leaves it up to the provinces to decide what is and what is not "medically necessary." And New Brunswick, through Regulation 84-20 of the Medical Services Payment Act, has "deemed" abortion not to be a "medically required" service "unless the abortion is performed by a specialist in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology in a hospital facility approved by the jurisdiction in which the hospital facility is located and two medical practitioners certify in writing that the abortion was medically required."

To say that all provinces have deemed abortion to be "medically necessary" is clearly not true.

I have no problem with an open and honest debate about the public funding of abortion. In fact, I along with many others would love to have a debate on how our health care dollars should be spent and whether abortion should take priority over say, the drug kalydeco for cystic fibrosis, avastin for people with brain tumours, the PSA tests for men, certain eye exams necessary to prevent blindness, and psychologist services--to name only a few unfunded medical treatments in Ontario.

What makes abortion so noble, that it should be paid for with scarce tax dollars when people who need life saving drugs are not paid for?

Yes by all means let's debate what our tax dollars should cover, and what they shouldn't cover. But it must be an honest debate. No one--no matter what their views on abortion are--should resort to deception to make their case.

Deb Matthews confirms closed opaque government

I heard from Minister Deb Matthews regarding my latest attempt to have her answer my many unanswered questions regarding her government's decision to hide abortion statistics.

From her response, I conclude that Deb Matthews

• doesn't care that CIHI is unable to give accurate abortion statistics;
• is aware that the abortion exclusion clause was never debated in the Legislature; 
• is unable or unwilling to share with the citizens of Ontario, the reasons she decided to exclude abortion services from FIPPA;
• is unable or unwilling to share with the citizens of Ontario, why abortion services were the only medical service excluded from the act;
• is unable or unwilling to share with the citizens of Ontario how the abortion exclusion clause enhances openness and transparency.

Here are my questions to her again:

"I have contacted CIHI on numerous occasions already about this [accurate abortion statistics]. Because of the way CIHI produces those statistics (i.e. they base their statistics on hospital discharge records and not medical billing records), they were unable to produce more accurate statistics. Therefore contacting CIHI again (as you suggest), will still not yield accurate statistics. So again I ask you, can you please provide me with a way to obtain accurate abortion statistics?

You say that "These amendments were debated and passed in the Legislature." My question was to provide the links to when the abortion exclusion clause was debated. Not to other amendments.

So I once again reviewed all 20 links on the Bill, from the link you provided me, including the transcripts of the public hearings on the bill on November 22 and 23. There were no instances in any of these documents, where the abortion exclusion was discussed, debated, or mentioned. 

Therefore I must assume that the abortion exclusion clause was not debated in the legislature. Please correct me if I am wrong about this assumption.

I asked you what rationale the government had for excluding abortion services from FIPPA. I couldn't find your response to this question in your letter. Perhaps you missed my question? If so, would you be so kind as to answer it for me now?

I asked you why abortion was the only taxpayer funded medical service singled out for exclusion from FIPPA. I couldn't find your response to this question in your letter to me. Perhaps you missed my question? If so, would you be so kind as to answer it for me now?

I asked you how excluding abortion services from FIPPA "enhances openness and transparency in the public sector"? Perhaps you missed my question? If so, would you be as so kind to answer it for me now?"

Here is her response to me:

Dear Ms. Maloney:

Thank you for your recent email regarding the abortion exclusion clause under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act (FIPPA).

I can only reiterate what I stated in my previous response to you.  The passing of the Broader Public Sector Accountability Act, 2010, that amended FIPPA, followed the customary legislative process of ensuring there was opportunity for public scrutiny, input and debate.

Public hearings were held on the bill providing interested parties with ample opportunity to raise their concerns and share their views on any issues related to the proposed legislation to be brought forward and be considered.

I'm sorry that the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) was unable to provide you with the statistics you were looking for.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write to me about this issue. 

Sincerely,
ORIGINAL SIGNED BY

Deb Matthews
Minister

From this I can only conclude that Deb Matthews knows that her government is neither open, nor accountable nor transparent; and that the abortion exclusion clause was enacted for purely ideological reasons.

Love and concern for the homeless in the womb

CBC tells us about a heckler who interrupts Laureen Harper at a charity event to raise money for homeless cats.

The woman brought up the issue of murdered and missing indigenous women.

Hailey King shouted at Mrs. Harper while she was speaking:

“Raising awareness about cat welfare is a good look for your husband’s upcoming campaign strategy...don’t you think supporting government action on missing and murdered indigenous women in this country would be a better look?”  

Mrs. Harper responds to the woman:

“We’re raising money for animals tonight. If you’d like to donate to animals, we’d love to take your money...that’s (missing women) a great cause, but that's another night. Tonight we’re here for homeless cats.”

So here's a thought. What about "homeless" babies in the womb? Who are evicted from their homes simply for being unwanted? Why does Mrs. Harper care about cats, but not for these tiny defenseless human beings?

Of course Mrs. Harper should be commended for her love and concern for homeless/abandoned animals. Someone who loves animals obviously cares about unwanted, unloved and uncared for creatures.

Yet I've never heard Laureen Harper mention these other creatures, who are the most disposable of the unwanted. I wonder why?

It seems to me that Mrs. Harper's love and concern could be easily expanded to include abandoned babies in the womb, and the mothers who carry them. Imagine the good that would come of this if she did?

Ministerial horse manure is standard output for politicians

I got a kick out of Christie Blatchford's comments in Saturday's Post.

Blatchford was lamenting how she couldn't get a straight answer from the Minister of Canadian Forces for an article she was writing.

"She [public affairs officer in DND] did not respond to a single one of my questions...

...I’m happy to use the ‘response’ you sent, but it is hardly responsive to the questions I asked. And frankly, I expected better.”...Ms. Crouse replied with a “Sorry, that’s all we’ve got for you.”...

It was not responsive to my questions. It said sweet bugger all. It was ministerial horse manure and it took seven days to get it."

This is just normal procedure for politicians: they never answer questions. Just look at my own correspondence with Queen Kathleen and Princess Deb-has-all-the-answers-Matthews, neither of whom are capable of answering a simple question. See here, here and here.

Pretending to be open, transparent and accountable, is way more fun than actually being open, transparent and accountable.

Yep. Sounds just like Queen Kathleen and Princess Deb-has-all-the-answers-Matthews.

Courage in Newfoundland

What a breath of fresh air.

Frank Coleman, a businessman in Newfoundland who is apparently "poised to become Newfoundland and Labrador's next premier", is also pro-life. 

"As a leader I believe in the rule of law. It would be weak of me to deny my beliefs and at the same time it is important that people understand I do not intend to impose my personal views...I have too much respect for all the people of this province."

This is pretty much unheard of in this country. A leader of a political party, with enough moral fibre, never mind guts, to tell his province that he stands behind his pro-life world view.

How refreshing and courageous.

Here in Ontario there are no such leaders. There are none federally either.

Maybe Mr. Coleman could give lessons to our other leaders.

IMPLANON in Sudan: tip of the iceberg?

My latest ATIP to CIDA/DFATD reveals that the contraceptive IMPLANON is being purchased and administered in Sudan by IPPF.

I thought I'd have a look at the risks and other issues associated with the implant.

They are all listed below. I thought I'd just point out a few of them from the Merck publication of the FDA-Approved Patient Labeling:

"It is not known if IMPLANON is as effective in very overweight women because studies did not include many overweight women."

Are overweight women in Sudan told this?

"Serious Blood Clots: IMPLANON may increase your chance of serious blood clots, especially if you have other risk factors such as smoking. It is possible to die from a problem caused by a blood clot, such as a heart attack or a stroke."

Are women in Sudan told about this, and other serious risks?

"Breast Cancer: It is not known whether IMPLANON use changes a woman’s risk for breast cancer."

They don't know the risk of breast cancer? Then why is IMPLANON being used at all?

"This is not a complete list of possible side effects." 

You mean there's more side effects? What are they?

And the document is replete with advice to call your health care provider for more information? Would that be IPPF? Does IPPF have doctors to answer these women's questions?

Finally, is the 11 page list of risks, interactions with other medications, side effects, etopic pregnancy risks, etc.--explained fully to the woman? Is she given a copy of this brochure in her own language? Can she even read it? (literacy rate in Sudan is 27%) What about informed consent?

Lots of questions. Not many answers. This is poor women's lives we are risking with Canadian money. Is that what being a Canadian is all about?

And I haven't even talked about the other drugs we are buying for the five countries (Afghanistan, Mali, Tanzania, Bangladash and Sudan).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(IMPLANON from the manufacturer MERCK)

FDA-Approved Patient Labeling

IMPLANON® (etonogestrel implant)

Subdermal Use

IMPLANON® does not protect against HIV infection (the virus that causes AIDS) or other

sexually transmitted diseases. Read this Patient Information leaflet carefully before you

decide if IMPLANON is right for you. This information does not take the place of talking with

your healthcare provider. If you have any questions about IMPLANON, ask your healthcare

provider.

What is IMPLANON?

IMPLANON is a hormone-releasing birth control implant for use by women to prevent pregnancy

for up to 3 years. The implant is a flexible plastic rod about the size of a matchstick that contains

a progestin hormone called etonogestrel. Your healthcare provider will insert the implant just

under the skin of the inner side of your upper arm. You can use a single IMPLANON implant for

up to 3 years. IMPLANON does not contain estrogen.

What if I need birth control for more than 3 years?

The IMPLANON implant must be removed after 3 years. Your healthcare provider can insert a

new implant under your skin after taking out the old one if you choose to continue using

IMPLANON for birth control.

What if I change my mind about birth control and want to stop using IMPLANON before 3

years?

Your healthcare provider can remove the implant at any time. You may become pregnant as

early as the first week after removal of the implant. If you do not want to get pregnant after your

healthcare provider removes the IMPLANON implant, you should start another birth control

method right away.

How does IMPLANON work?

IMPLANON prevents pregnancy in several ways. The most important way is by stopping the

release of an egg from your ovary. IMPLANON also thickens the mucus in your cervix and this

change may keep sperm from reaching the egg. IMPLANON also changes the lining of your

uterus.

How well does IMPLANON work?

When the IMPLANON implant is placed correctly, your chance of getting pregnant is very low

(less than 1 pregnancy per 100 women who use IMPLANON for 1 year). It is not known if

IMPLANON is as effective in very overweight women because studies did not include many

overweight women.

Who should not use IMPLANON?

Do not use IMPLANON if you

• Are pregnant or think you may be pregnant

• Have, or have had serious blood clots, such as blood clots in your legs (deep venous

thrombosis), lungs (pulmonary embolism), eyes (total or partial blindness), heart (heart

attack), or brain (stroke)

• Have liver disease or a liver tumor

• Have unexplained vaginal bleeding

• Have breast cancer or any other cancer that is sensitive to progestin (a female

hormone), now or in the past

• Are allergic to anything in IMPLANON

Tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any of the conditions listed above. Your

healthcare provider can suggest a different method of birth control.

In addition, talk to your healthcare provider about using IMPLANON if you:

• Have diabetes

• Have high cholesterol or triglycerides

• Have headaches

• Have gallbladder or kidney problems

• Have a history of depressed mood

• Have high blood pressure

• Have an allergy to numbing medicines (anesthetics) or medicines used to clean your

skin (antiseptics). These medicines will be used when the implant is placed into or

removed from your arm.

Interaction with Other Medicines

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements. Certain medicines may make

IMPLANON less effective, including:

• barbiturates

• bosentan

• carbamazepine

• felbamate

• griseofulvin

• oxcarbazepine

• phenytoin

• rifampin

• St. John's wort

• topiramate

• HIV medicines

Ask your healthcare provider if you are not sure if your medicine is one listed above.

If there are medicines that you have been taking for a long time, that make IMPLANON less

effective, tell your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider may remove the IMPLANON

implant and recommend a birth control method that can be used effectively with these

medicines.

When you are using IMPLANON, tell all of your healthcare providers that you have IMPLANON

in place in your arm.

How is the IMPLANON implant placed and removed?

Your healthcare provider will place and remove the IMPLANON implant in a minor surgical

procedure in his or her office. The implant is placed just under the skin on the inner side of your

upper arm.

The timing of insertion is important. Your healthcare provider may:

• Perform a pregnancy test before inserting IMPLANON

• Schedule the insertion at a specific time of your menstrual cycle (for example, within the

first days of your regular menstrual bleeding)

Immediately after the IMPLANON implant has been placed, you and your healthcare

provider should check that the implant is in your arm by feeling for it.

If you and your healthcare provider cannot feel the IMPLANON implant, use a nonhormonal

birth control method (such as condoms) until your healthcare provider

confirms that the implant is in place. You may need special tests to check that the implant is

in place or to help find the implant when it is time to take it out.

Your healthcare provider will cover the site where IMPLANON was placed with 2 bandages.

Leave the top bandage on for 24 hours. Keep the smaller bandage clean, dry, and in place for 3

to 5 days.

You will be asked to review and sign a consent form prior to inserting the IMPLANON implant.

You will also get a USER CARD to keep at home with your health records. Your healthcare

provider will fill out the USER CARD with the date the implant was inserted and the date the

implant is to be removed. Keep track of the date the implant is to be removed. Schedule an

appointment with your healthcare provider to remove the implant on or before the removal date.

Be sure to have checkups as advised by your healthcare provider.

What are the most common side effects I can expect while using IMPLANON?

• Changes in Menstrual Bleeding Patterns (menstrual periods)

The most common side effect of IMPLANON is a change in your normal menstrual bleeding

pattern. In studies, about one out of ten women stopped using the implant because of an

unfavorable change in their bleeding pattern. You may experience longer or shorter bleeding

during your periods or have no bleeding at all. The time between periods may vary, and in

between periods you may also have spotting.

Talk with your healthcare provider right away if:

• You think you may be pregnant

• Your menstrual bleeding is heavy and prolonged

Besides changes in menstrual bleeding patterns, other frequent side effects that caused women

to stop using the implant include:

• Mood swings

• Weight gain

• Headache

• Acne

• Depressed mood

Other common side effects include:

• Headache

• Vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina)

• Weight gain

• Acne

• Breast pain

• Viral infections such as sore throats or flu-like symptoms

• Stomach pain

• Painful periods

• Mood swings, nervousness, or depressed mood

• Back pain

• Nausea

• Dizziness

• Pain

• Pain at the site of insertion

This is not a complete list of possible side effects. For more information, ask your healthcare

provider for advice about any side effects that concern you. You may report side effects to the

FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What are the possible risks of using IMPLANON?

• Problems with Insertion and Removal

The implant may not be placed in your arm at all due to a failed insertion or if the implant

has fallen out of the needle. If this happens, you may become pregnant. Immediately

after insertion, and with help from your healthcare provider, you should be able to feel

the implant under your skin. If you can’t feel the implant, tell your healthcare provider.

Removal of the implant may be very difficult or impossible because the implant is not

where it should be. Special procedures, including surgery in the hospital, may be needed

to remove the implant. If the implant is not removed, then the effects of IMPLANON will

continue for a longer period of time.

Other problems related to insertion and removal are:

• Pain, irritation, swelling, or bruising at the insertion site

• Scarring, including a thick scar called a keloid around the insertion site

• Infection

• Scar tissue may form around the implant making it difficult to remove

• The implant may come out by itself. You may become pregnant if the implant

comes out by itself. Use a back up birth control method and call your healthcare

provider right away if the implant comes out.

• The need for surgery in the hospital to remove the implant

• Injury to nerves or blood vessels in your arm

• The implant breaks making removal difficult

• Ectopic Pregnancy

If you become pregnant while using IMPLANON, you have a slightly higher chance that

the pregnancy will be ectopic (occurring outside the womb) than do women who do not

use birth control. Unusual vaginal bleeding or lower stomach (abdominal) pain may be a

sign of ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is a medical emergency that often requires

surgery. Ectopic pregnancies can cause serious internal bleeding, infertility, and even

death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you think you are pregnant or have

unexplained lower stomach (abdominal) pain.

• Ovarian Cysts

Cysts may develop on the ovaries and usually go away without treatment but sometimes

surgery is needed to remove them.

• Breast Cancer

It is not known whether IMPLANON use changes a woman’s risk for breast cancer. If you

have breast cancer now, or have had it in the past, do not use IMPLANON because

some breast cancers are sensitive to hormones.

• Serious Blood Clots

IMPLANON may increase your chance of serious blood clots, especially if you have

other risk factors such as smoking. It is possible to die from a problem caused by a blood

clot, such as a heart attack or a stroke.

Some examples of serious blood clots are blood clots in the:

• Legs (deep vein thrombosis)

• Lung (pulmonary embolism)

• Brain (stroke)

• Heart (heart attack)

• Eyes (total or partial blindness)

The risk of serious blood clots is increased in women who smoke. If you smoke and want

to use IMPLANON, you should quit. Your healthcare provider may be able to help.

Tell your healthcare provider at least 4 weeks before if you are going to have surgery or

will need to be on bed rest. You have an increased chance of getting blood clots during

surgery or bed rest.

• Other Risks

A few women who use birth control that contains hormones may get:

• High blood pressure

• Gallbladder problems

• Rare cancerous or noncancerous liver tumors

• Broken or Bent Implant

If the implant breaks or bends while in your arm, how the implant works should not be

affected. If you have questions contact your healthcare provider.

When should I call my healthcare provider?

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have:

• Pain in your lower leg that does not go away

• Severe chest pain or heaviness in the chest

• Sudden shortness of breath, sharp chest pain, or coughing blood

• Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, such as swollen face, tongue or pharynx;

trouble swallowing; or hives and trouble breathing

• Sudden severe headache unlike your usual headaches

• Weakness or numbness in your arm, leg, or trouble speaking

• Sudden partial or complete blindness

• Yellowing of your skin or whites of your eyes, especially with fever, tiredness, loss of

appetite, dark colored urine, or light colored bowel movements

• Severe pain, swelling, or tenderness in the lower stomach (abdomen)

• Lump in your breast

• Problems sleeping, lack of energy, tiredness, or you feel very sad

• Heavy menstrual bleeding

What if I become pregnant while using IMPLANON?

You should see your healthcare provider right away if you think that you may be pregnant. It is

important to remove the implant and make sure that the pregnancy is not ectopic (occurring

outside the womb). Based on experience with other hormonal contraceptives, IMPLANON is not

likely to cause birth defects.

Can I use IMPLANON when I am breastfeeding?

If you are breastfeeding your child, you may use IMPLANON if 4 weeks have passed since you

had your baby. A small amount of the hormone contained in IMPLANON passes into your

breast milk. The health of breast-fed children whose mothers were using the implant has been

studied up to 3 years of age in a small number of children. No effects on the growth and

development of the children were seen. If you are breastfeeding and want to use IMPLANON,

talk with your healthcare provider for more information.

Do you want Stephen Harper to win the next election?

Check out this poll: Will you vote for Stephen Harper in the next election?

When I voted no, 60% had also voted no, and 39% had voted yes.

Closure of Morgentaler clinic is great news

MP Niki Ashton isn't happy that the Morgentaler abortion clinic in New Brunswick is closing.

Too bad for Ashton. Too good for preborn babies.

Ashton says that:

"This is a matter of life or death for women across the Maritimes...There should be no place in Canada where a woman's health is compromised because of a failure to provide access...More over, by imposing these restrictions it compromises women's health...Now these women no longer have access to health services that other Canadians have access to. It is time to address the gender inequality that exists when it comes to health care services available in Canada."

It always amazes me how the pro-abortions equate abortions with health care. What exactly, is healthy about killing human beings? Abortion is not a medically necessary procedure. It's not medically necessary for the woman, and it's not medically necessary for the child.

In most cases abortion is psychologically, emotionally and physically harmful to women. In 100% of the cases, abortion is fatally harmful to the preborn child.

And because abortion isn't medically necessary, it should never be funded by taxpayers. New Brunswick has it right.

Any money saved from the closure of Morgentaler's clinic, could be put to far better use supporting crisis pregnancy centres, including beefing up adoption support.

I'd like to see the rest of Canada follow suit.

PMO: Engaging citizens fosters trust

When Stephen Harper told us that Canada will host a summit on saving the lives of vulnerable women and children, I thought, good idea.

What would the obvious next question be that immediately springs to mind: Who will be attending the summit?

In other words, who are the "Canadian stakeholders, experts" and "global leaders from developed and developing countries, international organizations, civil society, the private sector, and foundations to take stock of the progress made to date and discuss the way forward" mentioned in the press release?

So I asked the Prime Minister's office this question. And in the interest of transparency--as I assume the summit will be funded by taxpayers--I thought I'd get some kind of substantive answer from the PMO.

What I was told was that:

"The list of participants of the summit will be made available in due course—all of the latest information will be updated immediately to www.pm.gc.ca  where you can access it."

Which prompted me to ask two more questions:

1) I'd also like to obtain information on the process that is being used for selecting invitees. How is that being accomplished? And what is the criteria for choosing an organization?

2) Also, what if I'd like to submit a name of an organization to be included in the summit? How can I go about doing that?

After a couple of more emails and phone calls to the PMO, I finally received my response from Carl Vallée. Short and sweet:

"We don't discuss internal process."

Don't we, as Canadian Citizens have a right to know who is being invited to discuss something as important as this summit obviously will be? After all, it is our money that will be funding the summit itself, never mind the actual aid to this initiative: a total of $7.3 billion from G8 and non-G8 countries, which includes Canada.

I think my questions are completely fair and reasonable and deserve an answer. In fact why would the PMO even tell us about this initiative, if they have no intention of answering questions about it, or giving us any additional information?

What about openness and transparency?

NDP MP Chris Charlton faces the children

The riding of NDP MP Chris Charlton is the latest target of CCBR's postcard campaign.

"CCBR targeted Charlton because of her opposing vote on Motion 312, which called for a committee to reevaluate Canada’s abortion laws."

Good.

"Charlton says she is concerned about the emotional effect these images could have on the families and children who may see them. Her office has heard from dozens of upset callers."

This kind of reaction always puzzles me. If abortion on demand, for any reason, or for no reason, at any time, is just another publicly funded "medically necessary procedure", as the pro-abortions would have us believe, why do they get upset over these postcards? The postcards are just showing the truth of what abortion is.

Could it because they know abortion is the killing of an innocent, voiceless, human being?

Charlton said:

“From my perspective people have the right to debate ideas with me... but I really believe I ought to be the target—not residents in my riding”

But the residents of Hamilton have a right to know where their MPs stand on abortion. This is an excellent way to accomplish this, Ms. Charlton.

For instance, for my own MP Mauril Belanger, people in Ottawa-Vanier also have a right to know that he is "pro-abortion-choice".

It's all good, when people are made well aware of where their MPs stand on the dismembering, decapitation and disembowelment of innocent human beings.

(CBC censored out the graphic part of the image below. Pretty much what I'd expect from the "pro-abortion-choice" CBC)