ABORTION

What is abortion?
Abortion is the killing of a human being. It stops a pregnancy and ends the life of an innocent unborn child.

What is the law in Canada?
There is no law governing abortion in Canada. Abortions can be performed legally right up until birth. Before 1969, the Criminal Code of Canada prohibited abortion unless the mother's life was at risk. An amendment was added to the abortion section (251) in 1969 to allow abortions if the mother's life or health was threatened. Abortions had to be approved by a therapeutic abortion committee. The word health was broadly interpreted to include economic, social, psychological, or physical health, leading to abortion on demand. In 1988, the law was completely struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada, leaving no law at all.

Do fathers have any rights under Canadian law?
No. A father is powerless to protect the life of his unborn children if the mother wants to have an abortion.

What are the most common reasons for performing abortions in Canada? According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, over 90% of abortions are done for socio-economic reasons. Less then 1% are done for reasons of rape or incest.

How many abortions are performed in Canada each year?
In 2005, there were 96,815 abortions, down 3.2% from 100,039 in 2004. For every 100 live births, there were 28 abortions. Induced abortion rates fell in every age group except among women aged 35 to 39, where it remained the same. Teenage women, under the age of 20, experienced the largest decline in rates, from 13.8 for every 1,000 women in 2004 to 13.0 in 2005. Abortions continue to be most common among women in their early 20s. They accounted for 31% of all women who obtained an induced abortion in 2005. At least 32% of abortions were done on women who have had at least one previous abortion. 52% of abortions are done in hospitals, 48% in abortion clinics. Since 1970, approximately 3,000,000 unborn babies have been aborted in this country. In 2004, there were 1,129 abortions in Niagara, a 7.69% reduction from three years earlier when there were 1,223 abortions. Last available statistics for St. Catharines indicate an average of one abortion per day.

Who pays for abortions?
Taxpayers do. For the fiscal year 1992 - 1993, the 103,244 abortions performed in Canada cost Canadians $55,964,593.

What are the complications to abortion?
Physical complications that may arise after an abortion include: bladder injury, bowel injury, hemorrhage, infection, laceration of the cervix, more miscarriages later in life, perforation of the uterus, sterility, death. 1 out of 25 women who have a legally induced abortion in a Canadian abortion clinic or hospital will be hospitalised for an average of two days because of life-threatening complications. (custom tabulation obtained by researcher Isabelle Begin from Statistics Canada)

Psychological effects of abortion on women include: guilt, depression, suicidal impulses, sense of loss, mourning, regret and remorse, loss of confidence in decision making capability, preoccupation with "would be" due date or birth month, lower self-esteem, despair, nightmares, loss of interest in sex, inability to forgive self.

"There is not a single scientific study that has shown that abortion has, on average, actually produced any benefits to women. In contrast, there are numerous studies showing abortion's harms. We must insist that the authentic rights and welfare of both the mother and child are intertwined. To hurt one, you will necessarily hurt both. To help one, you must help both." David C. Reardon, Ph.D., one of America's leading researchers and authors on post-abortion issues and founding director of the Elliot Institute

What are the methods of abortions?
The most common method of abortion used in Canadian abortion clinics and hospitals is the Suction - Aspiration method. Used in the first trimester, the cervical muscle is stretched open. A hollow plastic tube with a knife like edge is inserted into the uterus. The suction machine then tears the baby's body into pieces, and sucks them into a bottle. For older babies, the prostaglandin method is used. Prostaglandin is a hormone that induces labor. The baby usually dies from the trauma of delivery. Saline abortions poison the unborn child, and Dilation and Evacuation is when a pliers like instrument is inserted through the cervix, and used to tear apart the baby. The skull is then crushed and pulled out.