By Hilary White
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 1, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A former BC Premier and federal Liberal Minister of Health has been “welcomed” ironically into the pro-life movement, after making comments against the practise of sex-selective abortion in India. Ujjal Dosanjh returned recently from a month-long trip to his native India where he says he was horrified to discover the practice of aborting baby girls was widespread.
Given Dosanjh’s passionate support in Canada for unlimited abortion-on-demand, his comments against sex-selection surprised local pro-life leader John Hof who suggested that the MP for the British Columbia riding of Vancouver South is “half way home”.
Dosanjh told the CBC in an interview, “I’m angry, actually. I’m at my wits end. It comes to a point where you say: What will it take to change?” He said the valuing of boys over girls is unlikely to be eradicated within the South Asian community without widespread condemnation that such practices are “absolutely unacceptable.”
Hof, the head of Campaign Life Coalition British Columbia said, “Perhaps one of the places to start turning this trend around might be at the door of pro-abortion champion Joyce Arthur.” Hof made his comment in response to the defence of sex-selection made recently by Arthur, head of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada.
Few Canadian politicians have been as supportive of Arthur’s policies of free, unlimited abortion for all women at all stages of pregnancy for any or no reason, as has been Ujjal Dosanjh.
Hof continued, “On behalf of the pro-life movement I would like to welcome you half way home. Now that we have you opposed to eliminating girl babies before birth, perhaps we can start talking about the other 50 per cent of abortions – those done on little boy babies.”
As head of British Columbia’s provincial government, and as Liberal health minister under former Prime Minister Paul Martin, Dosanjh was among Canada’s most resolute supporters of Canada’s situation of unlimited legal abortion.
Foreseeing the imminent collapse of the NDP government in 2001 in BC, Dosanjh oversaw a raft of last-minute pieces of legislation meant to suppress pro-life activities, that were described as “draconian” by pro-life advocates. In 2005, when Dosanjh was federal health minister, Aidan Reid, National Director of Public Affairs for Campaign Life Coalition, recalled Dosanjh’s pro-abortion activist record as Premier. He said, “Ujjal Dosanjh was the most radically pro-abortion Premier that BC has ever seen, he continues that ugly legacy as Canada’s Health Minister.”
Dosanjh’s pro-abortion advocacy as Premier included secret meetings with pro-abortion leaders to discuss strategy on increasing funding and eliminating pro-life protests.