MONCTON, NB, Aug 8, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Federal government memos obtained by freedom of information requests have confirmed that Health Minister Allan Rock is threatening to fine New Brunswick for the province’s refusal to fund abortions in private abortuaries rather than only in hospitals. Documents obtained by the Moncton Times and Transcript show Rock warned New Brunswick Health Minister Dennis Furlong to pay for abortions at the Fredericton Morgentaler abortuary or face fines.
“Unless New Brunswick agrees to change its policy, the province is vulnerable to mandatory dollar-for-dollar penalties . . . and to discretionary penalties for a violation of the comprehensiveness and-or accessibility criteria,” said a Jan. 8 memo to Rock used in preparation for a phone call with Furlong. The memo, signed by deputy minister Ian Green said: “During your conversation with Minister Furlong, you should emphasize that Health Canada has a Canada Health Act concern with New Brunswick’s policy, that as federal minister you have a responsibility to ensure that provinces and territories comply with the requirements of the act, and that you would prefer to resolve this issue through negotiation rather than the application of penalties.”
A Jan 29 meeting between the ministers in Fredericton failed to resolve the dispute. On Tuesday, Furlong reasserted his belief that the province is not infringing the CHA by its actions. He said, “We do permit abortion on demand. There is no barrier to access in the system.”
Peter Ryan, head of Campaign Life Coalition New Brunswick, told LifeSite, “The feds and Fredericton continue to play footsy. One side is out to get NB babies, and the other is loathe to defend them. No one is minding the store.” Ryan said it is unclear as to whether Rock actually threatened the province. “But one wonders if sooner or later he, as an abortion advocate, will not play out the script Henry Morgentaler has written for him,” he said. “And who is Rock’s adversary? A health minister who says we don’t need clinic abortions because we already have “termination on demand” in the hospitals. An abomination of an argument, if I ever heard one. One side says, you don’t kill enough babies, the other replies, oh yes we do honest.”
(with files from CP Wire as forwarded by Pro-Life E-News and from the Moncton Times and Transcript, Aug 8, 2001)
For related coverage see: https://lsn.ca/ldn/2001/july/010718.html#1