Politics
Friday September 19, 2008
Libertarian Party Platform Calls for Defunding of Abortion, Makes Overtures to Pro-Lifers
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By John Jalsevac
September 19, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - While all of the major Canadian parties are diligently avoiding any discussion of abortion in the lead-up to the October election for fear of political fallout, Canada's minor parties are providing some voice for the issue.
The Christian Heritage Party is the only party that has an official, consistent pro-life policy.
Recently the Libertarian Party of Canada (LBC) provided a copy of its soon-to-be released platform statement on abortion to the Western Standard blog. While the party cannot be considered to be pro-life, its statement makes overt overtures to pro-life voters, many of whom feel they have been ignored or abandoned by the Conservative government.
The LBC officially supports a woman's "right" to access abortion but its platform on abortion is more restrictive that those of the major parties. In particular the LBC calls for an end to federal funding for abortions, and criticizes Prime Minister Stephen Harper for "refusing" to allow debate on abortion.
"Pro-life Canadians have been ignored and mistreated by the Harper Tories for too long," reads the platform.
"Stephen Harper has refused to allow debate on abortion and has said that he will work against any move that would prevent federal healthcare funding from being spent by the provinces on abortion."
The LBC platform criticizes the PM for his treatment of MP Ken Epp's Unborn Victims of Crime Bill (C-484) that would make it a separate crime to kill or injure an unborn child in a violent attack on the mother. In late August Conservative Justice Minister Rob Nicholson angered the bill's supporters by introducing the government's own, less potent version of the bill in a clear move to pull the rug out from under C-484.
Despite a clause in C-484 that says that the legislation will have no effect on abortion rights in Canada, some abortion extremists claimed that the bill would infringe upon abortion. Pro-life critics of the Conservative Party have charged that the Harper government introduced the rival bill in order to ensure that abortion will not be made an election issue.
Harper, says the LBC platform, "abandoned pro-life Conservative MP Ken Epp and his private members bill."
The LBC platform also expresses its support for freedom of conscience on abortion, especially in the matter of abortion funding: "While the Libertarian Party supports safe, legal access to abortion, we also believe that the 'freedom of conscience' of those who oppose abortion must be respected. The Libertarian Party will defend 'freedom of conscience' and promote real choice by removing all federal government funding to the provinces for medically unnecessary abortions."
The platform statement on abortion concludes: "The Supreme Court's Morgentaler decision struck down Canada's abortion law in 1988, but the decision of nine unelected judges should not permanently silence democratic debate on abortion in parliament."
With the Conservative Party staunchly refusing to do anything to alter the status quo on abortion in Canada, or to even allow it to be discussed, the LBC's platform is a clear attempt to woe disenchanted pro-life voters away from the Conservatives.
However, Andrea Mrozek with the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada expressed the feelings of many pro-life Canadians when she observed, "In Canada today, there is much shared ground between libertarians and conservatives. I could vote for a libertarian who would push for an end to abortion funding now, sure. Long term, however, I am not libertarian. It would be a marriage of convenience."
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase out Lab Rats
- Ohio Supreme Court Allows Planned Parenthood to Conceal Abortion Records in Sexual Abuse Case
- LifeSiteNews Canada Day and Independence Day Message. Taking a few days off. LSN returns Monday July 6
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Pro-Life Groups Announce New Colorado Personhood Initiative
- Judge Puts Kibosh on DC Gay "Marriage" Referendum
- Al Franken Win Hands Supermajority to Senate Democrats
- Group Funded by Canadian Bishops' D&P Joins with Others to Denounce the "Natural Family" and "Family Rights"
- Financially Troubled Planned Parenthood of El Paso Closes Doors
- Abortion Linked to Subsequent Pre-Term Births, New Research Again Confirms
- New Orleans Homosexual Couple Ask Fed. Court to Overturn Marriage Amendment
- Slim Hope Of New Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Leader Promoting Pro-Life, Pro-Family Issues
- Pope Accepts Resignation of Bishop Caught Involved in Homosexual Encounters
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Northern Ireland Politician Cleared of Wrongdoing after Reiterating Christian Teaching on Homosexual Acts
- UK Conservative Leader Speaks at Gay Pride Fundraiser
- More Letters to the Editor on Canadian Catholic Development and Peace Scandal (July 1)
- Letters to the Editor - Readers Respond to Development and Peace Scandal
- Watch This Dramatic New Video on Catholic Bishops Conference Funding of Pro-Abortion Groups
Most Read this Week
- Homosexual Duke U. Director Charged with Offering Adopted 5-Year-Old for Sex
- Famed Fr. Corapi Calls Canadian Bishops' Dissent from Humanae Vitae "Catastrophic"
- Pope: It is a Childish Faith to Oppose the Church Teaching on Life and Family
- LifeSiteNews Detailed Response to Canadian Bishops' Whitewash Report on Development and Peace
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Is Pro-Choice the New Pro-Life?
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase Out Lab Rats
- Swedish Parents Won't Tell if Child is Boy or Girl as Gender Experiment
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.