By Patrick B. Craine
QUEBEC, August 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Faced with backlash from the Quebec medical community and calls for his resignation over the new legislation imposing basic safety measures on Quebec abortuaries, provincial Health and Social Services Minister Yves Bolduc backed down from his position yesterday in an interview with RadioCanada.
Currently, Bill 34, passed this spring in the Quebec National Assembly, will require abortion mills in Quebec to conform to new basic safety standards, such as the use of a sterile operating room, by September 30th. Private abortuaries perform approximately one third of Quebec's abortions, covered by the government, but several have claimed that they cannot meet the standards and so may have to cease doing abortions, including Henry Morgentaler's Montreal facility. One private 'clinic', Alternative, has already announced their intention to stop their abortion operation.
Yesterday, Bolduc told RadioCanada that he would in effect consider giving abortion a special exemption by removing it from the list of surgical procedures regulated by Bill 34, or changing the criteria of the Bill as it pertains to abortion. He repeated his previous comment from the weekend that he has no intention of restricting access to abortion, and he is willing to be flexible.
Marie-Ève Bédard, Bolduc's press aide, confirmed that the Minister has relaxed his stand. “The criteria [implemented by Bill 34] have not been accepted unanimously,” she told the Montreal Gazette. “They were standard norms for all. What we have seen is the norms, as applied to abortion clinics, are maybe not necessary.”
On the weekend, following the controversy after Alternative announced its closure, Bolduc defended the legislation, saying “We will not accept any compromise in the quality and safety [of the system].” At the same time, however, he insisted that “We do not want in any way to limit access to abortion in Quebec.”
Bolduc claimed the norms of the legislation were developed in conjunction with Quebec's professional medical organizations, including the Quebec College of Physicians, but the College denied that claim on Monday, saying the norms go beyond the level of care necessary for abortions.
The President of the Quebec Federation of Medical Specialists, Gaétan Barrette, further, has called for Bolduc to resign or be removed, calling him a liar for saying the norms were “dictated by the professionals.” According to Barrette, Bolduc ignored their warnings about grouping private abortuaries with other private medical facilities.
“In 2008, we argued against this but we hit a brick wall,” Barrette said. “I have a problem when the minister goes before the people and says, 'No, no, no, it's these others who made me do it.' If this was my child I would say, 'No, you're lying, my child, and you will be punished.'”
Bédard told the Gazette, however, that neither organization, nor anyone else, expressed any objections when the Ministry conducted hearings about the legislation. “Nobody [at the time of the hearings] asked that we remove abortion clinics from that list,” she said. “They did not ask either that we add it. It was already there. They did not ask for it to be removed because everyone agrees we need some standard criteria to standardize practices.”
Bédard said Bolduc asked the Quebec College of Physicians to examine the issue on July 24, and is still awaiting their response.
Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) praised the new abortion safety measures in a press release yesterday, highlighting the history of poor standards of care, particularly at Morgentaler's abortion mill, and calling on other provinces to institute similar legislation. “We congratulate the provincial health department's law which will undoubtedly save the lives of the unborn children and improve the health of their mothers,” said Mary Ellen Douglas, National Organizer of CLC.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Campaign Life Coalition Praises Quebec Government's New Abortuary Safety Requirements
Quebec Abortuaries Set to Close, Can't Meet Basic Safety Standards of New Bill