In July 1981 the following was submitted to the National Canadian Teachers Federation convention: “That the Canadian Teachers Federation should seek to have abortion removed from the Criminal Code of Canada.” At the time the motion was tabled.
The resolution was introduced by British Columbia Teachers Federation which has made the resolution its own. This year the B.C. union intends to re-introduce it. Attempts in Vancouver at the beginning of April this year to circulate an anti-abortion petition at the B.C. Teachers Convention was ruled out of order by B.C.T.F. chairman Frances Worledge.
The North Shore News of April 3rd. interviewed Paul Birch, an English teacher at Sutherland school, one of those involved in attempts to stop B.C.T.F. from re-introducing the 1981 motion at the national Teachers convention in July. “It’s a matter not directly related to education” he said, “it is outside the responsibility of the B.C.T.F.” Birch said the statement on abortion was passed by the B.C.T.F. in executive council in 1981.
