A story in the newspapers a couple of weeks ago got under my skin. It referred to “moderate” Conservatives who wanted the party to support abortion and same-sex marriage. Moderate? Abortion and gay marriage are two issues on which Canadians are deeply divided. How does one side get to be “moderate”?

This week, the story that bit me was about how “75% of [Conservative] party activists” oppose Steve Harper’s campaign for traditional marriage. The “75% of party activists” turns out to be 15 people of the 20 who responded to a newspaper survey in urban ridings. Over half of them were from Toronto and five were from Montreal. The story also said that 15 of them “opposed the efforts of some anti-abortion groups to push a resolution at the Montreal policy convention that would recriminalize abortion.”

Recriminalize abortion? I was not aware of such a resolution. I know that conservative ridings in Toronto and in Quebec have drafted resolutions declaring the party to be in favour of abortion and same sex marriage. I phoned a friend who is closely connected with the party. She was unaware of a resolution to make abortion illegal.

I suspect, and hope, that there will be a resolution to offset the pro-abortion one already proposed. I would like to see an expression about protection of life. However, I’m with those who think it would be counter-productive to propose making all abortions illegal. Such a resolution is unrealistic, impractical and very premature.

I know this will not be popular with some pro-lifers. Some will misconstrue my point. I oppose abortion unequivocally. It is immoral and damages women and society. I wish and hope that someday in Canada it will be illegal and I work toward that end. But, I think that unless and until we do the long, hard work required to change the culture (and thereby public opinion), expecting and asking politicians to do what most Canadians are not ready to accept is naïve and will hurt the pro-life cause.

That does not mean we accept and promote legal abortion. We oppose it but we propose positive, reasonable changes that can be supported by a majority of Canadians.

Last week, Statistics Canada released the most recent survey on abortion. In 2002, there were 105,249 abortions reported to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Statscan admits this number includes only 90% of all abortions performed in Canada. Since 1988, when the abortion law was struck down, there is no legal requirement for reporting. That means the actual abortion number for 2002 is closer to 115,000. There were 32 abortions for every hundred live births in 2002.

Statscan also has another table that breaks down the numbers by selected characteristics. These figures are less reliable since some hospitals and most abortion clinics do not supply this information. For example, there are detailed records on 41,992 hospital abortions out of a possible total of 58,254. Of the 46,748 clinic abortions reported to CIHI, only 7,574 of them provided detailed information. (Both of the Alberta private clinics do report this information along with “some” in BC.)

So, based on a small sample, the report found that slightly more than half of all abortions were on women in their twenties, 35% were on women who had already had one or more abortions, and almost 46% were for women who had already had children. Almost 90% of abortions were performed in the first trimester. Ten percent, that’s about 10,000 abortions, were later-term.

Statistics Canada notes that until 1988, abortions could only be performed for health reasons according to the law. When the law was struck down, “a reason for obtaining an abortion was no longer required.” So, it is incorrect for anyone to argue that abortions are done for health reasons, or that they are “medically necessary”. There is no source of information to make such a claim.

There appears to be no information on complications, side effects or women whose abortions require subsequent visits to a physician or hospital. The detailed reports are so incomplete because of lack of reporting that I have no doubt that the number of later term abortions and repeat abortions is under-estimated. For example, Alberta Health reports that the repeat rate for 2002 in this province is 37%. It is unlikely that the rate is higher here in Alberta than in the rest of Canada.

Why don’t we have complete information on abortion? Why are private, for-profit clinics performing 45% of the abortions in Canada, in most cases paid for by taxpayers? Why are they are exempt from reporting their total numbers or the details of the procedures? Why aren’t providers required to give a reason for the abortion? Most abortions are done because women ask for them, not because they are medically required. How many teens had abortions without parental consent? How many women were informed about all possible complications and side effects?

These are the areas that provide the basis for good legislative initiatives that would be supported by a majority of Canadians.

Abortion providers should be required to submit numbers and detailed reports on all abortions.
Good informed consent legislation, like many American jurisdictions, which details what kind of information, including an ultrasound, women must know before they consent to an abortion. I’d go so far as to copy the procedures adopted by some eye clinics that require patients to view a video of laser eye surgery before agreeing to have it done.

Parental consent for minors so older boyfriends or school counsellors cannot take young girls to a private clinic without parents’ knowledge or consent.

Removing abortions from the list of insured services in every province unless the physician proves a legitimate medical, not social or psychological, reason for it. That’s the law in Prince Edward Island. Serious scientific study of the health effects of abortion on women, unimpeded by ideological and political agendas.

Some of these—informed and parental consent and de-insuring—fall under provincial jurisdiction although they could be more speedily accommodated if the federal government would agree to stop threatening provinces for enacting such legislation.

I think such initiatives are achievable and reasonable but they won’t happen quickly. They will never happen if we cannot convince ordinary voting Canadians that these are worthwhile steps.

If these changes cannot be implemented, how or why would we expect to reverse 40 years of legal abortion? And why would we expect politicians to make such changes if we aren’t prepared to do the hard, tedious, often disappointing work that is necessary to change hearts and minds?