HELPING BOTH THE MOTHER AND HER BABY.
“The reality is that every abortion takes the life of an innocent human being. And women are hurt by abortion. But together, we can protect our most vulnerable, helping both the mother and her baby, by passing laws protecting life.”
Women and their babies deserve better than abortion. Yet in this day and age in Alberta, it is somehow acceptable to kill babies in the womb at private for-profit abortion facilities, at public expense – at a rate of almost 12,000 babies per year… But there is hope. Together we can help both the mother and her baby by promoting positive, life-affirming alternatives to the practice of abortion. Here’s how:
Adoption: Unfortunately, there are fewer than 100 newborns placed for adoption each year in Alberta and fewer than 500 in all of Canada. Meanwhile, thousands of childless couples, many suffering the agony of infertility and miscarriage, are on waiting lists. The wait time to adopt a healthy newborn is 10 years, if it ever happens at all. All of this while over 11,000 preborn children are killed in the womb, every year in Alberta. Alberta should boost support for women with unexpected pregnancies. Ease the challenges of putting a child up for adoption by supporting women through all 9 months of pregnancy; and by expanding the influence of Alberta Adoption Services to better assist prospective parents who want to adopt a child.
Informed choice/consent: A women’s right to information about medical procedures should not be disregarded. Ever. Informed consent, including the disclosure of risks, is a basic demand of medical ethics. Mothers considering abortion should be given full information on fetal development, an ultrasound, and all the possible psychological and physical health effects prior to the abortion being performed. They should also be given the full range of information about abortion alternatives and available support. Most medical procedures require patients be fully-informed about the possible complications and side-effects before they consent. So when it comes to abortion — why are we not giving all the facts first?
Counseling: Promote counseling for women in unplanned pregnancies that will provide them with all the alternatives available to them including the possible physical, psychological and spiritual impacts an abortion could have. Provide counseling and adoption alternatives and empower them to choose life.
Parental consent legislation: Minors do not require the consent of their parents or guardians to get an abortion in Alberta. As is already the case when a minor undergoes medical treatments, or even body modifications such as a piercing or tattoo, a parent (or guardian) should be required to provide consent before their minor child undergoes an abortion procedure. If a minor requires parental consent to use a tanning-bed, shouldn’t they require their parents permission for an abortion?
Parental notification for minors: Parental rights should be safeguarded from the radical abortion industry. As with any other invasive procedure or treatment performed on minors, the legal guardians of a person under the age of 16 ought to receive notification when an abortion is scheduled for their child. Minors should not be able to undergo abortions without their parents at least being notified.
24 Hour Waiting Period: Abortion is one of the most important decisions a woman can make. There are no do-overs. A twenty-four-hour waiting period would allow time to think things over and prevent a rash-decision, a rush to judgement, and a lifetime of regrets.
Bursting Bubble-zones: Rightly, provisions already exist within the Criminal Code of Canada (Section 264) to charge, prosecute, and convict those who harass others. But bubble-zones prohibit pro-life Albertans from demonstrating – even peacefully and silently – outside of abortion facilities. Restrictive bubble-zones around Alberta abortion facilities should be “popped” to restore free speech, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly of pro-life Albertans. Most importantly, this would allow women seeking an abortion to be informed of safe and life-affirming alternatives, and to extend to them any help necessary should they decide to keep their baby.
Ultrasound awareness: Ultrasound laws are important for women’s health. Often, prior to an operation, your doctor and medical team will review the operation with you. In some cases, you will view a video of the procedure in advance. They will inform you of how the procedure works, what will be done to your body, and frequently review any x-ray or MRI scans of the area of your body on which they will operate. If we are to treat the procurement of abortion “just like any other” medical procedure, then these steps should also be taken.
Safeguarding against coerced-abortions: All too often men coerce women into aborting the baby she may want, to avoid the responsibility of fatherhood. In many ways, abortion is a service for males to avoid the responsibilities of child-rearing/support. Men are very much involved in facilitating abortions and putting pressure on the woman to abort. That’s not “choice”. Interactions between abortion providers and a woman seeking an abortion should include screening for possible trafficking, exploitation, and coercion.
Increasing the emergency allowance for pregnant women escaping domestic abuse: Currently, the government has an “emergency allowance” which helps those fleeing domestic abuse resettle themselves. Some of those fleeing domestic abuse are pregnant. Imagine the enormous stress these women are under. Often without income, they have the additional stress of trying to make good decisions for their pre-born child. More money won’t make these problems go away, but it might make them a little easier for a woman and her pre-born son or daughter.
Eliminating public taxpayer funding of abortions: Government should not fund the killing of innocent human beings. Abortions in Alberta are currently funded with taxpayer dollars through the provincial health care system. It’s one thing for an individual to make the personal choice to kill a baby in the womb; it’s quite another to expect the rest of us to pay for it. Alberta should enact a permanent, government-wide prohibition of taxpayer funding for abortion and ensure that taxpayer money is never used for the killing of innocent life. Abortion isn’t healthcare and Alberta should not fund or subsidize healthcare which includes abortion coverage.
Born-alive Abortion Survivors Protection: A live-birth abortion occurs when a baby is born alive resulting from a botched, failed, or unsuccessful abortion, and left to die. (In 2022 there were 26 “live-birth abortions” in Alberta, and 149 in all of Canada.) Doctors should be required to provide the same standard of medical care for newborns who survive an abortion that they would for any other newborn of the same gestational age. Newborns should not be killed or deliberately neglected because of the circumstances of their birth. It is the least we owe to a newborn child who has survived an abortion. This would in no way regulate or restrict abortion but it would save a newborn child’s life.
Women and their babies deserve better than abortion. Defund elective, medically unnecessary abortions and fund the life affirming alternatives of crisis pregnancy support, parental support, and adoption.
With your help we can continue building the political pro-life movement in Alberta. Together, we can protect our most vulnerable by passing laws protecting life. Helping both the mother and her baby. Now, lets get to work!
