The vote was 28 in favor and 60 against. The bill would have required a pregnant woman seeking an abortion to be provided with information concerning the life of an unborn child; to be told of the risks that may result from an abortion; and be informed of the social services available to care for the child before the decision to abort the baby was made.
The bill also would have provided protection for physicians and nurses who refuse to participate in an abortion on moral or ethical grounds. The Minister of Health was to have monitored compliance with the law.
The bill, “An Act for Informed Choice by Patients,” was sponsored by Mike Dietsch, Liberal member for St. Catharine’s-Brock. Cameron Jackson, PC, Burlington South; Mike Farnan, NDP, Cambridge; and Mike Harris, PC, Nipissing, spoke strongly in favor of it. Bob Rae, the leader of the New Democrats, and Dianna Poole, Liberal, Eglinton, spoke against it.
The bill was described as not being perfect by Mr. Dietsch, and described by pro-life forces as a stopgap measure to discourage abortions.
Jim Hughes of Campaign Life Coalition called it a very flawed bill, but, nevertheless, deserving of pro-life support. But at the same time, said Paul Dodds, legal counsel for Campaign Life Coalition, “We know that some pro-abortion Liberal MPPs planned to vote in favor of the bill. Their purpose is to convince their constitutions that they are pro-life, despite the pro-abortion record of the Peterson government.”
The leaders of the Liberal and Conservative parties were notably absent, along with forty other members who, we were told, were involved in committee or constituency meetings. However grudging the support of pro-lifers for the bill, it was too much for the following MPPs, who voted against it:
Bill Ballinger, Durham-York (L)
Charles Beer, York North (L)
Ken Black, Muskoka-Georgian Bay (L)
Mike Brown, Algoma-Manitoulin (L)
Marion Bryden, Beaches-Woodbine (NDP)
Sterling Campbell, Sudbury (L)
Elinor Caplan, Oriole (L)
Doug Carrothers, Oakville South (L)
Brian Charlton, Hamilton Mountain (NDP)
Shirley Collins, Wentworth East (L)
Sean G. Conway, Renfrew North (L)
David R. Cooke, Kitchener (L)
Alvin Curling, Scarborough North (L)
Walt Elliot, Halton North (L)
Murray Elston, Bruce (L)
Joan Fawcett, Northumberland (L)
Edward Fulton, Scarborough West (NDP)
Bernard C. Grandmaitre, Ottawa East (L)
Ruth A. Grier, Etobicoke-Lakeshore (NDP)
Christine Hart, York East (L)
Chaviva Hosek, Oakwood (L)
Richard F. Johnston, Scarborough West (NDP)
Ron Kanter, St. Andrew-St. Patrick (L)
Vince Kerrio, Niagara Falls (L)
Kenneth Keyes, Kingston and the Islands (L)
Monte Kwinter, Wilson Heights (L)
Floyd Laughren, Nickel Belt (NDP)
Linda LeBourdais, Etobicoke West (L)
Keith MacDonald, Prince Edward-Lennox (L)
Bob Mackenzie, Hamilton East (NDP)
Steve Mahoney, Mississauga West (L)
Remo Mancini, Essex South (L)
Gino Matrundola, Willowdale (L)
James McGuigan, Essex-Kent (L)
Karl Morin-Strom, Sault Ste. Marie (NDP)
L.O. Munro, Hamilton Centre (L)
Yvonne O’Neill, Ottawa-Rideau (L)
Dave Neumann, Brantford (L)
Brad Nixon, York Mills (L)
Robert F. Nixon, Brant-Haldimand (L)
Steve Offer, Mississauga North (L)
Hugh P. O’Neil, Quinte (L)
Richard Patten, Ottawa Centre (L)
Ed Philip, Etobicoke-Rexdale (L)
Gerry Phillips, Scarborough-Agincourt
Dianne Poole, Eglinton (L)
Bob Rae, York South (NDP)
David Ramsay, Timiskaming (L)
Douglas Reycraft, Middlesex (L)
Marietta Roberts, Elgin (L)
E. Joan Smith, London South (L)
Gregory Sorbara, York Centre (L)
Larry South, Frontenac-Addington (L)
Barbara Sullivan, Halton Centre (L)
Mel Swart, Welland-Thorold (NDP)
Murad Velshi, Don Mills (L)
Christopher C. Ward, Wentworth North (L)
Bud Wildman, Algoma (NDP)
Mavis Wilson, Dufferin-Peel (L)
Robert Wong, Fort York (L)
