Ontario Health Minister Murray Elston declared on June 30 that abortions are too difficult to get in some parts of Ontario. He has asked Dr. Marion Powell, director of the Bay Centre for Birth control in Toronto, to “investigate” the geographic and financial “barriers” to more abortions. Powell was hired in mid-June (Toronto Star).
Elston’s move is only the latest in a series. In April 1985, David Peterson promised to widen the availability of abortions. After the election in May, the Attorney-General refused to close Morgentaler’s illegal abortion centre. In July, Elston extended OHIP coverage (for counseling) to Morgentaler and associates. In October, the Liberal cabinet ignored the Ontario Appeal Court’s dismissal of Morgentaler’s acquittal.
In January 1986, OHIP began to pay the travel costs for abortion seekers from outlying areas. In March, the Liberals refused to lay charges against new illegal abortionists Colodny and Souci. And in May, the government permitted abortionist Robert Scott to open a second illegal killing centre. Meanwhile, the Health Minister thought it unconscionable – as he had earlier in March – that a doctor’s strike might disband the so-called therapeutic abortion committees.
Finally, in June 1986, instead of charging the illegal abortionists for extra-billing, the Minister of Health proposed to raise the OHIP fee for abortions from $95.00 to $200.00, while seeking ways of allowing general practitioners to perform abortion in hospitals, instead of just obstetricians and gynecologists. He also appointed Marion Powell as “medical consultant” to seek “equality of access.”
Powell is a past president of Planned Parenthood of Toronto; a member of the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada; a signer of an advertisement supporting abortion on demand in the CMA Journal (1976); a member of Doctors for Repeal of the Abortion Law and a public supporter of Morgentaler.
The backing of the Ontario Liberals for a woman’s freedom to kill her unborn baby is now complete and in harmony with the stand of the federal leader, John Turner, who has reiterated a number of times that he is proud of having supervised the legalization of abortion in 1969.
