Canada will not support abortions as part of the maternal and child health initiative it is discussing with other G-8 countries, Canadian Minister of International Cooperation Bev Oda said, according to news agencies. This stance runs counter to calls by other G-8 countries for a comprehensive maternal and child health plan, which includes access to safe abortion, among other measures.
The final details of Canada’s contribution to the maternal and child health plan remain to be determined but will not include funding for abortion, Oda said during the meeting of G-8 development ministers in Halifax. Other countries asked for flexibility to pick the approaches they would support, Oda explained, according to Reuters.
In an earlier G-8 meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized that any international initiative to promote maternal health should include family planning measures, including safe abortions, Reuters notes. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Britain would also not support a plan that has no comprehensive family planning options.
U.S. Agency for International Administrator Rajiv Shah, meanwhile, said the U.S. and Canada are not at odds over the issue, Reuters reports.
