By opposing the Liberal motion to protect Canada’s traditional position on reproductive rights and family planning, the Harper Conservatives have reopened debate on reproductive rights with their G8 maternal and infant health initiative, Liberal MPs said today.
“For the past 25 years, Canada has promoted reproductive rights and funded the full range of family planning, both domestically and internationally,” said Liberal Health Critic Dr. Carolyn Bennett. “Contrary to Minister Oda’s statement this morning, by opposing our motion that supports the status quo, the government is rejecting the status quo. And rejecting the status quo is reopening the debate on women’s reproductive rights.”
Liberals put forward a motion in the House of Commons today calling on the Harper government to include all family planning and reproductive health options, including contraception, in its G8 maternal and child health initiative.
The Liberal motion also sought to ensure that humanitarian assistance is not going to become conditional upon a George W. Bush-style “global gag rule” that required all NGOs receiving federal funding to refrain from promoting medically-sound family planning. Instead of assuring Canadians that a similar rule would not be adopted by Canada, Conservative CIDA Minister Bev Oda referred to the global gag rule condemnation as an “anti-American attack.”
“Minister Oda has implied that her right-wing government agrees with the global gag rule policy, even though the rest of the world has rejected it,” said Liberal Status of Women Critic Anita Neville. “The global gag rule was universally condemned and immediately rescinded by President Barack Obama when he came into office; by Minister Oda’s logic, is President Obama anti-American?”
Liberal MP Lise Zarac said that by not supporting the Liberal motion, the Conservatives are deliberately ignoring the volume of research from around the globe that makes the case for greater international support for sexual and reproductive health programs.
“Once again, the government is putting its socially conservative ideology ahead of the best interests of women and girls,” concluded Ms. Zarac.
