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THE NUMBER of hospitals in Canada which perform
abortions is falling, according to a study by a national pro-abortion group
called Canadians for Choice (CFC).
As the Ottawa Citizen reported in April, the study found that only 15.9
percent of general hospitals offered abortion services in 2006, down from
17.8 per cent in 2003.
As a result, the study claims, women living in the more
northerly parts of the country are forced to endure limited options and
hardships when seeking abortions.
In Ontario, for example, only 33 out of 94 hospitals
performed abortions in 2006 – and of these, only one hospital was
located north of the Trans-Canada Highway.
CFC executive director Patricia LaRue said this means
many women have to drive up to 14 hours to obtain an abortion.
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LaRue attributed the decline in abortion accessibility
in part to a lack of trained abortionists, noting that Canada’s
medical schools are not required to teach physicians how to perform
abortions.
The study also revealed, according to LaRue, that
“many hospital workers were either judgmental or very
misinformed” when asked about what their facility offered by way of
abortion services.
But while abortions may be becoming less accessible,
that does not appear to have had any significant impact on the number of
abortions performed in Canada.
According to Statistics Canada, in 2003 – the
most recent figures available – 103,768 abortions were performed,
down from 105,154 in 2002 – a decline of one percent.
The 22 clinics across Canada which perform abortions
were not included in the CFC study.
– Today’s Family News
May 2007
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