Printer-friendly version

Ottawa, Canada, June 22, 2010—Five Canadian advocacy groups have for months been calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to address family planning and abortion care in the G8 maternal and child health initiative.  They now have the support of:

- more than 100 International organizations from the G8 and other countries,
- five former directors of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),
- a former Prime Minister of Japan,
- parliamentarians in 18 different countries, and
- civil society organizations such as Save the Children Germany, Amnesty International, World Vision Germany, and Oxfam France

The National Abortion Federation Canada, Action Canada for Population and Development (ACPD), the Ad Hoc Coalition for Women's Equality and Human Rights, the Fédération du Québec pour le planning des naissances (FQPN), and the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA) today again challenged Prime Minister Stephen Harper and G8 leaders to address family planning and abortion care in the G8 maternal and child health initiative.

The groups reminded Prime Minister Harper of the overwhelming scientific evidence that access to safe, legal abortion care preserves women’s health and saves women’s lives. Unsafe abortion remains one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in developing nations. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 70,000 women worldwide die from unsafe abortions annually and millions more are injured, many permanently. 

At last year’s G8 Summit in Italy, the G8 heads of government agreed that maternal and child health was one of the world’s most pressing global health problems. They committed to “accelerat[ing] progress…on maternal health, including through sexual and reproductive health care and services and voluntary family planning.”

It is imperative that the work done in Canada build on—not backtrack from—previous commitments.

The groups delivered letters signed by their supporters to Prime Minister Harper today.

Contact:

Melissa Fowler; National Abortion Federation Canada; 202-595-4395 cell; mfowler@prochoice.org