Mrs. Cathay Wagantall, MP
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Dear Mrs. Wagantall,
The EFC is pleased to support your private member’s bill
C-233 on sex selective abortion, which discourages discrimination on the basis of sex and would prevent medical practitioners from performing an abortion solely because of the child’s genetic sex.
This bill will address actions deliberately taken with the intention of eliminating one sex before birth. Most commonly, sex selective abortion involves eliminating females due to a preference for sons.
Sex selective abortion of girls takes place in Canada. For example, research published in 2016 provides strong evidence to suggest induced abortions are being used to select for infant sex. One article estimates that about 4,500 female fetuses were not born over the past 22 years (
Urquia, M.L., et al, CMAJ Open 2016; 4(2) E116-123).
As a society, we should find common ground in the belief that no child should be aborted because they are the wrong sex. The Canadian government banned the sex selection of implanted embryos in the
Assisted Human Reproduction Act. The practice of sex selective abortion is inconsistent with Canada’s commitment to protect equality rights and work to end discrimination on the basis of sex. This legislation is an important step toward reducing gender-biased sex selection, a form of discrimination that has a damaging effect on society.
As Christians, we believe all human life is precious, from conception to natural death, and that each person’s life has worth and dignity.
Thank you for introducing this legislation and bringing attention to this important issue.
Sincerely,
Julia Beazley
Director, Public Policy
[Editor's note: EFC supporters can learn more about the bill at
TheEFC.ca/C-233.]
Author:
Julia Beazley