Laura McArthur, president of the Right to Life Association of Toronto and Area, recently criticized Ontario’s Liberal government in its proposed implementation of the Powell Report on abortion in the province.

“Why are we not moving on this?  The Powell report has been approved, and in a very short time this multi-million dollar scheme will strive to bring abortion to every city, town and hamlet in Ontario.  Our tax dollars are paying for this!  So, why are we, the pro-lifers, not moving? She challenged the audience at a forum presented at the Second Annual Life and Family Conference this past May.

Complex health issue

The following are excerpts taken from a special notice entitled “Ontario Alert,” which Toronto Right to Life has prepared to bring the facts of this report to public attention:

At a news conference at Queen’s Park, March 13, Murray Elston, our health minister, responded to the recommendations of the Powell Report.

In his introduction, he stated that abortion services are one of the “more complex” health issues with which “we as a society, must come to terms.”  He also stated that the Powell Report had been received and “thoroughly” reviewed by his Ministry, “a wide number of public interest groups, and the Ontario Cabinet.”

Mr. Elston stated, that, in consultation with the hospitals and the Ontario Medical Association, his Ministry is prepared to reorganize, restructure and co-ordinate abortion services in order to develop a range of programmes directed toward supplying “sensitive,” “Supportive,” and “timely” abortions.

In support of these services, Mr. Elston has pledged an additional annual funding of $2.5 million for abortion programme development.  Concerned about financial barriers to hospital abortions, he also pledged that his Ministry would assist hospitals, and the OMA, to develop funding methods to ensure the implementation of these new programmes.

New abortion techniques

As well, Mr. Elston also announced that the Ministry of Health would encourage the study of new abortion techniques, promote research into late-term abortions, and explore the recommendation to educate and train general practitioners to perform abortions.

To serve this purpose our health minister announced that he has already hired Dr. Mario Powell herself, to implement the report she authored.

Dr. Powell’s pro-abortion background is a matter of public record.  Since as far back as 1971, she has been involved with such organizations as Ontario Women’s Abortion Law Repeal Coalition, Doctors For the Repeal of the Abortion Law, and Planned Parenthood.  These groups, over the years, have called for removal of abortion from the Criminal Code, for all hospitals receiving government funds to perform abortions for a woman’s “right” to abortion and for more access to abortion across Canada.  In addition, in a five-month period (between July and November 1986), Powell’s own centre, the Bay Centre for Birth Control, referred 1,046 women for abortions.

Dr. Powell, then, can hardly be considered a neutral voice in the question of access to abortion and Mr. Elston was aware of this when he appointed her to do the study.  Mr. Elston was vague in his response to specialized abortion centers, affiliated to, but not in, hospitals.  But, Marion Powell, in an interview with the Toronto Star on March 14, said that the Ministry of Health and the government are committed to carrying out her recommendations for hospital – affiliated women’s centers that could provide abortion counseling, formal approval, and the abortion itself, in some cases on the same day.

This seems to have been backed up by a government spokesman in an interview with the Toronto Star, Marcy 22, when he said that the government will provide as much money as needed to implement Dr. Powell’s recommendations on women’s “one-stop shopping” service.

The wheels are turning…Dr. Powell says that her “goal” can be reached within a few months.  What is needed, say McArthur, is immediate action on the Powell Report.  Ontario pro-lifers must inform the Liberals that the implementation of the Powell report is completely unacceptable.