Marie Stopes International is among the latest organizations to be affected by Canada’s position not to fund abortions abroad. The organization will be receiving conditional grants from the Canadian International Development Agency for its reproductive health services in South Africa and Tanzania, the Star reports.
“The decision is a real missed opportunity to make an impact on the 13 per cent of maternal deaths caused by unsafe abortions globally,” Marie Stopes International Chief Executive Officer Dana Hovig was quoted as saying. “You cannot have maternal health without reproductive health and (that) includes contraception and family planning and access to legal, safe abortions.”
International organizations that rely on Canadian government for their women’s health care programs in the developing world are becoming careful when discussing abortion and abortion-related services, The Star says.
“It’s scary to articulate,” a program manager who requested anonymity was quoted as saying. “Someone could overhear you and write down that you support a woman’s right to choose and then funding could be cut to our partner agency.”
Another program manager told the Star that if Canada wanted to help women, they should not try to stop abortion. Women in the field will “abort in any way they can,” the manager explained.
Canada International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda said during the G-8 development ministerial meeting in Halifax that Canada will not fund abortion as part of its contribution to boosting maternal and child health globally.
Canada is also not contributing to the pre-summit Women Deliver conference in Washington, the Star reports. The conference is expected to bring together world leaders, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has yet to confirm attendance to the conference, the newspaper says.