For immediate release
Ottawa, ON – We Need a Law congratulates Mr. Pierre Poilievre on his election as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. After a lengthy leadership race, we look forward to opportunities to discuss specific policies around abortion that the majority of Conservatives – and Canadians – can support.
“There is an ongoing debate about abortion in this country. Especially since the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v Wade decision, Canadians have been talking about our own country and the fact that we don’t have laws restricting abortion,” said Tabitha Ewert, spokesperson for We Need a Law, a national campaign that advocates for legal protection for pre-born children. “The question is, how will the new Conservative leader, Mr. Poilievre, participate in the debate? Will he try to dodge the question and pretend the debate is over? Or will he contribute realistic policies that the vast majority of Canadians support?”
Pierre Poilievre ran a campaign that centered around the theme of freedom. The pro-life movement is eager to see how much freedom he gives members of his own party. Pro-life backbencher MPs have long utilized private member’s bills to have debates around reasonable limits on abortion. Most recently, MP Cathay Wagantall introduced the Sex Selective Abortion Act. In 2015, she introduced a bill that sought to bring recognition to pre-born victims of violent crime. MP Poilievre voted in favour of that bill. The question is, if a pro-life MP wants to bring forward another bill, how will he handle this as a leader? “We are optimistic,” said Ewert, “that his strong stance on freedom includes a commitment to free speech and free votes on matters of conscience for pro-life MPs.”
The pro-life movement is motivated, organized, and politically activated. They are willing to work with politicians across party lines in the interest of protecting pre-born children and bringing Canada more in line with international counterparts. Canada remains the only democratic country in the world with no law protecting pre-born children. We Need a Law works to promote common sense, common ground policies that give us a solid starting point in recognizing the humanity of pre-born children and the right to life that comes with that.
We Need a Law promotes the following three potential laws at the federal level:
- A sex-selective abortion law, which would ban abortion based on the sex of the child.
- An international standards law, which would ban abortion after the first trimester and ensure a waiting period and counseling for women seeking an abortion.
- A pre-born victims of crime law, which would not impact abortion but would allow courts to recognize pre-born children as victims when their pregnant mothers are victims of violent crime.
“We look forward to seeing some of these bills brought forward as the opportunity arises, and we will be looking for Mr. Poilievre to keep his word and allow these debates to happen freely,” concluded Ewert.
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For further comment please contact
Tabitha Ewert (EDT) at 1-866-410-9625 // [email protected]