Dear Editor,
I commend you for your article “How to chip away at abortion” (INTERIM July 2006) clarifying the moral distinction between compromising and incrementally winning the abortion battle.
You correctly put in evidence that within certain jurisdictions, the legality of abortion cannot be challenged, but abortion procedures can be reduced and de-funded.
In the United States we have seen a number of initiatives put forward by individual States to reduce and de-fund abortion, with considerable success.
In Canada it is up to the provincial governments to introduce similar barriers to abortion.
The Family Coalition Party, as the only Ontario pro-life party, has passed over a dozen policies towards that objective: from informed consent, to parental consent, from mandatory cooling period to mandatory reporting of complications, from freedom of conscience for health care workers to freedom of speech for pro-life demonstrators, from stopping extra-billing to complete de-funding of abortion.
In addition, an FCP government would take appropriate steps to inform women of the immediate and delayed dangers of abortion.
Finally the FCP would push the Federal government to introduce appropriate measures to outlaw abortion and any other procedure destroying life, such as ESCR and Euthanasia.
I urge the pro-life readers of your newspaper to support our party in our efforts to run a pro-life candidate in every riding in the 2007 Provincial Election. If you can help, please call 1 888 613 2645.
Thanks,
Giuseppe Gori
Leader, Family Coalition Party of Ontario
Official FCP policy below:
The following measures, which fall under provincial jurisdiction, shall be immediately introduced in the legislature:
1. SUPPORT OF PREGNANT WOMEN .
The Family Coalition Party will expand current government programs in order to extend full support to pregnant women, as needed, in the following areas: food, housing, clothing and health needs. The provincial government will also support those voluntary organizations selected by pregnant women to provide them with lodging and physical security, psychological and spiritual counseling, education, marriage preparation courses, parenting courses and information resources.
2. HEALTH CARE COVERAGE FOR THE CHILDREN IN THE WOMB
The Family Coalition Party will include in the list of procedures covered by Ontario Health Insurance those procedures intervening on children in the womb feasible using current technology and without engaging in extraordinary or experimental interventions. Extraordinary or experimental interventions are those where the risk of undesired outcomes far outweighs the possible positive outcomes.
3. ADOPTION TAX CREDITS
The Family Coalition Party shall legislate sizeable additional tax credits for those families that choose to adopt children.
4. ABSTINENCE
The Family Coalition Party will support programs encouraging abstinence in public schools.
5. INFORMED CONSENT
Doctors performing abortions(1) in Ontario will be required to inform the patient by providing her with all the information made available to the hospital or private clinic from pro-life organizations.
In addition, the expectant mother shall be required to take and view a sonogram of her baby at a private or public facility accredited with the Ministry of Health.
6. MANDATORY COOLING PERIOD
Doctors performing abortions in Ontario will be required to inform the Ministry of Health of any request for an abortion procedure, and will be forbidden to proceed with the abortion for at least 48 hours from such registered time.
7. PARENTAL CONSENT
When the applicant for abortion is a minor, the doctor shall require the parents or legal guardians of the expectant mother to accompany the minor before the abortion request is registered with the Ministry of Health.
8. MANDATORY REPORTING OF COMPLICATIONS
Doctors shall be required to report to the government of Ontario any complications deriving from abortion, whether recent or in the past. The government shall publish this information together with other health care statistics whenever it deems appropriate, but at least once a year.
9. FREEDOM OF CHOICE
The Family Coalition Party will make sure that alternatives are found for those workers (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, policemen, etc.) that for a reason of conscience choose to opt out from a particular detail that relates to abortion, or decide not to participate in an abortion procedure, or choose not to prescribe a drug that relates to abortion or contraception. The provincial government will also make sure that such workers are not penalized in any way by their employer for having exercised that choice."
Definition: "Injurious elective procedures" are those procedures, such as abortion, euthanasia, female circumcision and sex change operations, where the intent is not the life and well-being of the subjects, but mutilation, injury or death.
10. FUNDING
The Family Coalition Party will not use public funds for injurious elective procedures.
11. EXTRA BILLING
The Family Coalition Party will not allow extra billing for injurious elective procedures.
12. FUNDING OF PRIVATE CLINICS
The Family Coalition Party will not allow any direct or indirect funding (such as funds collected through lotteries, gambling or charity) of private facilities performing injurious elective procedures.
13. FREEDOM OF SPEECH
The Family Coalition Party will restore freedom of speech of pro-life individuals or groups, including their freedom to demonstrate peacefully in front of hospitals, abortion clinics or any other public place of their choice.
In addition, the Family Coalition Party will urge the federal government to restore full legal protection to all human beings, from the moment of conception to natural death.
Note (1):
Procedures that have the intent of saving the life of the mother and do not have the intent of terminating the life of the fetus, such as interventions due to ectopic pregnancy or cancer of the uterus, are not classified as abortions.
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