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For Immediate Release |
CBC investigation reveals sex-selective abortions happening in Canada! |
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Surrey, BC – June 13, 2012 – “The fact that this horrific procedure can be obtained and tax-funded in Canada, a nation which otherwise has such a high standard for human rights, is appalling. It is very disturbing that discrimination against women can be carried out to this extreme,” said WeNeedaLAW.ca director, Mike Schouten. Schouten was responding to a CBC secret investigation which revealed Canadian women are taking advantage of early ultrasounds at private clinics to determine the sex of their pre-born child in order to get an abortion if the sex was not preferred. As the Toronto Star reported earlier this year, some ethnic groups prefer boys over girls and will resort to abortion should an ultrasound reveal that the expectant child is a girl. One woman told the undercover producer from the CBC she already had two girls and was unsure about having a third. “You basically proved that [sex-selective abortion] is happening here,” Dr. Verjinder Ubhi told CBC News after seeing the hidden camera footage. (CBC News, June 12 “Fetal gender testing offered at private clinics”) Schouten continued by saying, “The revelation that this practice occurs in other countries is not new. But that Canadians can request and receive an abortion simply because they don’t like the gender of their child is a sexist practice that most Canadians find repugnant and would like to see banned. I applaud the CBC for their investigative journalism in revealing this awful practice.” Some will undoubtedly call for increased education to combat sex-selective abortions, but education alone does not go far enough. “Canadians would not have been satisfied if we had addressed child labour issues with education programs only and never passed child labour laws. Canadians certainly should not be content with education as the only tool used to counteract the killing of pre-born females either. Clearly, the government has a role to ensure that the human rights of pre-born females are not violated, simply because of their gender,” stated Schouten. In an April 2012 interview with the Globe and Mail, Canada’s Minister for Status of Women, Rona Ambrose said, “At the end of the day, we are fighting sexism here. We’re fighting this perception that girls are not equal to boys.” History tells us that when some humans are not considered equal with others, whether because of their sex, colour, or race, laws are required to protect them. “Canada needs a law to end this misogynistic practice”, said Mr. Schouten. “We know that over 90% of Canadians think that aborting for gender reasons should be illegal. It’s time for the government to act.” -30- |
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Gender selection happening in Canada!
