FREDERICTON, January 27, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – New Brunswick’s health minister said the province would not be using public funds to pay for abortions committed in private abortuaries, such as the one operated by Henry Morgentaler, despite federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh’s warning to begin doing so.

That was the word from New Brunswick Health Minister Elvy Robichaud during a news conference held Thursday, as reported by the CBC.

After a private meeting between the two ministers earlier this week, Dosanjh told reporters, “We also talked about the issue around choice and abortion and that being a medically necessary service and I advised Mr. Robichaud that we’d be enforcing the Canada Health Act on that and any other issue around the country.”

Robichaud was not pleased that Dosanjh discussed their conversation publicly; it was meant to be confidential, Robichaud said, because a court battle over the issue of public funding for private abortions is currently being waged between the province and Morgentaler.

“The funny thing though about Mr. Dosanjh is, on one hand he’s trying to argue about health services being provided through a public system and what I understand is he’s advocating for New Brunswick to provide health services to private clinics,” Robichaud said.

Canada’s National pro-life political organization, Campaign Life Coalition, issued a press release today on the development. “It appears that the Minister of Health is following the pro-abortion agenda which he established in British Columbia before he became Canada’s Health Minister”, said Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition. “We applaud Health Minister Robichaud and encourage him not to concede to the federal minister’s heavy-handed threats,” he continued.

“Canadians wait for months for treatment in health clinics for serious medical problems and the Health Minister has not been pressuring the provinces with regard to this problem,” said Mary Ellen Douglas.

“Abortion is a life-style choice not a medical problem. Healthy babies are being killed,” she continued.

See the Campaign Life Coalition Press Release

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Liberal Government Pressuring New Brunswick to Fund Abortion

Ruling Awaited in New Brunswick Morgentaler Case

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