Although Canada and the U.S. are separated by an unprotected 5525 mile border, we are definitely two distinct countries. This is apparent on many issues, including abortion. The U.S. has a president who is profoundly pro-life and Canada has a prime minister who is profoundly pro-abortion. COVID-19 has exposed the stark reality of these differences.
United States
Although Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortions in the U.S., there are other smaller abortion chains. One is the Abortion Care Network, which represents 125 independent abortion facilities across the country. The other is the abortion chain Whole Women’s Health.
While Planned Parenthood continues to flourish with generous government and private grants, the independent abortion facilities are struggling financially and may have to close because of the coronavirus shutdowns. Some of these independent abortion facilities have already temporarily closed because they do not have enough equipment and cannot afford the massive sanitation and personnel efforts required to work through the pandemic.
These independent abortion facilities perform more than half a million abortions each year.
This shutdown is good news, as women do not need to abort their unborn babies to be healthy or successful. As a result of the closing of independent clinics, millions of women’s and babies’ lives have been saved.
Canada
Prime Minister Trudeau has used the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to provide even more money for international population-controlling abortions. In June 2020, Trudeau announced that he was dedicating $8.9 million in international aid to ensure that women and girls around the world have access to safe abortions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Trudeau government, acquiring abortion services and contraception has become more challenging and “Canada wants to do its part and step up”. Of this recent $8.9 million grant, $4.9 million will go to the Marie Stopes International abortion organization that operates in 37 countries, but mainly in Africa. It has a very unsavoury record, which includes providing abortions illegally in some African countries. A further $2 million will go to the organization Ipas, another international body that works with governments to advocate “safe, legal abortion” and to make contraception widely available. The remaining money will go to the United Nations to assist women who are victims of violence.
This latest grant to fund international abortions was preceded by other large grants to facilitate abortions, including the one last June at an international feminist conference in Vancouver where Canada committed to paying $1.4 billion for this purpose, starting in 2023 until 2030.
In 2017, Trudeau had announced a grant of $650 million over three years to provide funding for international abortions.
Abortion Restricted in Many Countries
Abortion is illegal or severely restricted by law in 125 countries, mostly in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the Middle East. But under Trudeau’s generous grants, Canada will be paying for advocacy groups to challenge pro-life laws in these countries.
In 2017, ignoring that abortion is not a right, nationally or internationally, Chrystia Freeland, the former Minister of Global Affairs, stated,
[Our] values include feminism and the promotion of the rights of women and girls. It is important—and historic—that we have a prime minister and a government proud to proclaim themselves as feminists. Women’s rights are human rights. This includes sexual and reproductive rights— and the right to access safe and legal abortions. These rights are at the core of our foreign policy.
On May 6, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a joint statement on behalf of 59 nations promoting global access to abortion during the coronavirus pandemic. The statement is not binding in any way but is meant to influence the resolutions at the UN General Assembly on the COVID-19 crisis. Only seven of 54 African countries have signed this statement.