On Tuesday, April 23, Bill 53, The Freedom of Informed Choice Concerning Abortions in Saskatchewan, was introduced as a private member’s bill by MLA Gay Caswell (PC Saskatoon Westmount). The abortion law itself is a federal matter, and it is beyond the powers of provinces to alter it. However, health care and family relationships are provincial concerns, and Mrs. Caswell’s Bill is so contrived that it falls under provincial jurisdiction.
In an attempt to tighten the loose application of the federal law, the Bill obliges doctors on Therapeutic Abortion Committees to inform the mother about the details of the fetal development of her unborn child. The doctors are required to explain the physical and psychological risks attendant on the abortion, along with the further dangers to future pregnancies or of sterility. The woman would be required to sign a statement confirming that she had been given this information.
Moreover, this information must also be given to the husbands of pregnant women, or to the parents of minors. These too would be required to give written consent before an abortion could be performed.
Abortion committees, or doctors, failing to comply with the regulations would be subject to a $5,000 fine.
Gay Caswell’s original bill called for an end to medicare financing, and this aim is not forgotten. This bill is a first step towards protecting the unborn. It is not intended to be the last. WP
