The Minister of Health in the Ontario Government has spent several years drafting a very ominous piece of legislation known as Bill 138 which deals with health protection in the province. This bill has serious ramifications for Ontario and the pro-life movement for the following reasons:
(1) The programs and services of the local boards of health under this legislation would change from voluntary to mandatory services and therefore every Board of Health would be required to provide services which include family planning and counseling in most Boards of Health amounts to merely the facilitating of abortion, increase in the number of abortions performed in the province.
(2) Local Boards of Health are required under the Bill only to “superintend” their services and programs. Therefore they are enabled to contract out their family planning and counseling to outside agencies such as Planned Parenthood of Ontario (which had been fiercely pressuring for the passage of the Bill). In addition, Section 75 of the Act allows for the Minister of Health, in order to carry out his ministry’s objectives, to make grants outside of Ontario. Planned Parenthood, according to the Badgley Report is the largest abortion referral agency in Canada and according to Affidavit evidence merely facilitates the obtaining of abortion rather than properly counseling clients.
(3) Although the Independent Schools and the Catholic High Schools Grades 11-13 may opt out of the Board’s of Health programs and services however should they decide to implement their own programs and services they must first have their programs and services approved by the local Medical Health Office.
When Campaign Life learned about this bill about two months ago, it notified all pro-life groups and individuals in Ontario and requested that they take action. Enormous pressure began to build up on the government against he bill. Notwithstanding this pressure, however, the bill was slated to come for final reading on February 18-19. However, because of the intense pro-life pressure, the government abruptly changed its plans and the bill was placed on the Order Paper for final reading February 14th, a full three days earlier then had been planned. Late in the morning of Feb. 14th Campaign Life was notified that Premier Davis would like to meet with us and others in his office to discuss the bill prior to the vote. This meeting had been requested by pro-life MPP John Williams (Oriole-Toronto).
We then met in a delegation consisting of representatives from 500 Ontario Christian churches, the Association for Responsible Education and Family Health, the Canadian Confederation of Christian Schools and Campaign Life with Premier Davis, the Minister of Education, Bette Stephenson, and the Minister of Health, Larry Grossman to discuss the bill.
Our meeting adjourned after a full two hours of discussion. At the end of the meeting, Premier Davis gave us his personal assurances in regard to the future effect of this bill.
An hour later the debate on the Bill began in the House. During the debate, Mr. Grossman, apparently because of our concerns, moved an amendment to Section 6(4) which protects the Independent Schools and the Catholic Schools from interference from the local M.O.H. Unfortunately, however the other controversial provisions in the Act remain intact. This Bill, it should be noted, was passed with only 45 to 50 of the 126 Member House being present. Approximately 30 PCs, 10 Liberals and 5-10 NDP were present. Unfortunately, there was only a voice count, not a recorded vote taken, so we do not have a record as to who supported or opposed the Bill.
