On May 24, Moncton MP Dennis Cochrane was presented with a petition containing the names of almost 40 000 New Brunswickers who are asking their federal legislators to “protect, defend and respect” the rights of unborn children.
We the vote on new abortion legislation slated soon, a delegation of New Brunswick Right to Life Association members submitted the petition to Cochrane in his Moncton constituency office. The document bears 39 834 names.
The Moncton Times Transcript of May 25 reported that Cochrane assured the pro-life proponents that he would endorse the conducting of therapeutic abortions only in cases where the mother’s life or health would be jeopardized by given birth. He said the opinion at least two doctors would be required and the procedure would have to be carried out in a reputable institution paid for by the government.
The president of the New Brunswick Right to Life Association, George Gilmore of Newcastle, the newspaper said, pointed out to Cochrane that the so-called “compromise position” of the PC proposal on demand.
Thelma Innes, president of Fredericton Pro-life Association, said even the most restrictive of the three options has room for abuse if its criteria are not clearly spelled out.
It is not clear from the Transcript article whether MP Cochrane now understands that all three options are pro-abortion options and are unacceptable to pro-lifers.
