Gallant’s position seems largely influenced by federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau. For months now Trudeau has been talking nonsense about the legal status of abortion in Canada. He is either ignorant of the jurisprudence or is intentionally misrepresenting what the law says. Even as late as this past weekend, the flamboyant Trudeau was on CBC’s Sunday Edition telling listeners that his party is “a party of the Charter” and he will defend women’s rights at all costs. Does he really think all women are pro-abortion? As one female supporter said to me, “If he isn’t assuming that [all women are pro-abortion], then I’m offended as a citizen that he would strip me of democracy. We shouldn’t be putting up with this kind of patronizing attempt at leadership in a post-feminist Canada.”

The question that needs to be asked is “where are all the pro-life leaders?” David Alward is a pro-life leader and it looks like his four-year tenure as premier of New Brunswick is about done. Why isn’t he countering Gallant’s pro-choice platform? As the leader of the Progressive Conservatives surely he must know that nearly three-quarters of his province is opposed to the very thing Gallant is proposing – unrestricted access to publicly funded abortion for any reason at any time throughout a pregnancy. Certainly a large number of those 75% have always voted Liberal. But is Alward going to sit idly by while they all go into the voting booth next week and not do anything to court their vote? While there are still some hard-core abortion advocates who make the news once in a while, they are a minority who cannot morally, scientifically or logically defend the new Liberal position.

Canada has no legal protection for children before birth. The legal restriction in New Brunswick may result in fewer abortions, but it does not protect pre-born children. The last time we had any protections for pre-born children in Canada was before January 28,1988.

Canadians concerned about human rights for all members of the human family are making progress in advocating for laws protecting pre-born children at some stage of pregnancy. This is not an extreme position and politicians should not be afraid to debate it.

It is time for politicians not just to say they are pro-life, but to be pro-life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a martyr under the Nazi regime, once said, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” Politicians at both federal and provincial levels – be emboldened!

Dear Mr. Gallant,

You recently told the Telegraph-Journal that, if elected premier, you would remove “all barriers” to abortion access. I interpret that to mean you support taxpayer-funded abortion on demand, in both hospitals and private clinics.

If you had already been premier, apparently you would have funded the now-closed Morgentaler Clinic, where 10,000 babies were killed. It seems you are ready to fund a similar facility in the future. The people of New Brunswick deserve to know that before voting.

And lest your mind glaze over at the mention of babies killed, let me remind you that the Canadian Medical Association refers to the unborn as “babies”, not just fetuses. I’m talking hard facts, not religious spin.

If you are okay with a policy that would result in thousands of children being aborted, based not on medical indications but essentially because they are unwanted, it cannot be because New Brunswickers demand that. Polls show people Atlantic residents strongly (70+%) oppose using their tax dollars for abortion on demand.

So why would you force New Brunswickers to pay for that? Apparently, you believe that’s what Canadian law requires. Now I like research. Please tell me where it says that. Because ever since the 1988 Morgentaler Supreme Court decision I’ve been reading the texts, and can’t find it!

A few months ago Justin Trudeau was roundly criticized for making a similar faulty claim that the law of the land requires abortion on demand. Legal scholar Margaret Somerville pointed out no such Charter right exists. On the Morgentaler decision, former chief justice of the PEI Supreme Court Gerard Mitchell said, “None of the seven judges held that there was a constitutional right to abortion on demand. All of the judges acknowledged that the state has a legitimate interest in protecting the unborn.”

Canadian law may not prohibit taxpayer-funded abortion on demand. But it does not require it. You should acknowledge the distinction. New Brunswick is not legally obliged to remove “all barriers” to abortion.

Following April’s NB Liberal Party Convention, where Frank McKenna’s longstanding restrictive policy was overturned, a Maritime news anchor reported your comment that supporting choice is “a no brainer.” I respectfully ask if supporting taxpayer-funded abortion on demand, under the banner of “choice,” is really a “no brainer” when:
– 65% of Atlantic women polled said the law should generally not allow 2nd trimester abortions, routinely performed at the Morgentaler Clinic.
– Scientific studies have reported women have higher rates of suicidal behavior, depression and substance abuse after abortion.
– The Canadian Medical Association Journal identified the abortion of female babies as a cultural problem in Canada, and 92% of Canadians polled want the practice banned.
– Publicly funded abortion on demand could sky-rocket New Brunswick abortions from about 1,000 to 2,000 per year, sharply reducing a low birth rate identified as a major reason for our aging population and economic woes.

I strongly urge you to reconsider your views, and move toward a maternal health care policy providing quality care for both mother and baby, not for one at the expense of the other.

A child should be welcomed, not treated like some virus to be eliminated. Mothers “with child” need support, not violence to their wombs. This is not religion. It’s compassion and common sense.

Rex Murphy chided Justin Trudeau for letting “pro-choice fundamentalism” cloud his judgment about the law. May the same not be said of you. It would seem so at odds with your Scholten grandparents having had 22 kids! They sure respected unborn life. Would you even be here if they had not?

Sincerely,
Peter Ryan

Executive Director New Brunswick Right to Life Association