NEWS RELEASE
Comments on Hospital’s Decision to Curtail Abortions
The Executive Director of the New Brunswick Right to Life Association, Peter Ryan, released the following comments in response to the news that abortions will be curtailed at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton as of June 30:
“This is good news for the women and children of New Brunswick. It means that many more women will give birth. Such mothers deserve our respect and support. Bearing a child can be a considerable challenge. Several pregnancy support centers in the province stand ready to assist.
“Every child that is born is a priceless treasure. With more deaths now than births, our province can ill afford to lose children through abortion.”
“We commend those responsible for this decision. Pregnancy is not a disease but a gift and responsibility for caregivers, as doctors ever since Hippocrates have recognized.
“We now call upon Henry Morgentaler to also show respect for the unborn children and mothers of this province.”
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Contact: Peter Ryan (506) 459-8990 or 1-888-797-9600
Susan Leger, President (506) 532-6030
Background Information:
For several years about 1,000-1,000 abortions a year have been performed in New Brunswick, about 500-600 at the Morgentaler Clinic and the remainder in hospitals. At the end of 2002 doctors at the Moncton Hospital - which used to do about 300 a year - stopped doing most abortions, citing such factors lack of informed consent by women referred there. That led to a significant increase at the Chalmers Hospital. In 2003 there were 991 abortions in NB (Statistics Canada), 602 at Morgentaler’s, with most of the remaining 389 at DEC. Other hospitals perform a small number. NB Right to Life has been critical of the DEC for practising abortion on demand in violation of Medicare requirements that allow only medically necessary procedures to be publicly insured.