Ontario sets Targets for numbers of abortions performed

UPDATE: March 23, 2022

There's is so much weasel talk from the Ontario Ministry of Health (see below), that all you really need to know is this about the targets set for Ontario's abortion clinics: 

"The estimated service volume [number of babies killed] amount that is listed in Schedule 1 of the agreement is determined based on discussions with the service provider and their anticipated capacity [how many babies they think they can kill] to deliver an estimated number of services [babies actually killed] for the time period under the agreement." 

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I asked another question to Ontario Health:

"What is the point to the service volume in the IHF agreement if the doctor can perform more abortions than the volume and bill OHIP for them?"

Ontario Health's answer: 

"IHFs [Independent health facilities AKA abortion clinics] receive facility fees for ‘overhead ‘ or ‘facility’ costs, which are separate from physician professional fees. Budgets within IHF agreements are calculated to provide facility fees for the volume of services noted in the service plan. Under IHF funding agreements, which include a range of services, facilities do not receive additional funding beyond the budgeted amount, even if the facility’s volumes exceed their annual service plan."

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My Original post Feb 7, 2022

I have it on good authority that there is an abortion clinic in Ontario that has a “target” (the word they used) for the number of abortions they perform every year. In fact this clinic performs over 2,200 abortions annually (for which they receive funding from OHIP).

So I submitted an FOI to the Ontario Ministry of Health and asked them about this. The information I received back included a generic copy of the funding agreement used by abortion clinics (Independent Health Facilities). See this document beginning on page 23. 

Abortion clinics really do have targets for the numbers of abortions they do.

"PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

In the first Funding Year, the Licensee will provide up to XXXX Funded Services.
In the second Funding Year, the Licensee will provide up to XXXX Funded Services.
In the third Funding Year, the Licensee will provide up to XXXX Funded Services."

I them asked the MOH a subsequent question on the variable XXXX:

"When I looked at Schedule 1, under Performance Requirements, I see this:
In the first Funding Year, the Licensee will provide up to XXXX Funded Services.
In the second Funding Year, the Licensee will provide up to XXXX Funded Services.
In the third Funding Year, the Licensee will provide up to XXXX Funded Services.

Can you please tell me how the variable XXXX is calculated for each of the three years? ie, is it the facility that comes up with this number, or the Ministry?"

MOH response:

"The ministry does not set specific targets or quotas for these services in Independent Health Facilities. The estimated service volume amount that is listed in Schedule 1 of the agreement is determined based on discussions with the service provider and their anticipated capacity to deliver an estimated number of services for the time period under the agreement. This is a typical funding approach used in ministry transfer payment agreements with providers for the delivery of a wide range of services where facility or other funding in support of the service also includes some estimation of the service volumes that may be delivered by that provider."

This appears to contradict my source, in that they say that it is the Ministry that sets the targets. Regardless, wouldn't it make more sense to try and reduce the number of abortions instead of identifying a "target" to be reached? How sad that Ontario Health talks about a clinic’s capacity for terminating the lives of little children.

Disgusting. Depressing. Evil.