General News and Announcements

June 23, 2010

The United Church of Canada has written a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper affirming Canada's emphasis on maternal health as a global development priority at the upcoming G8 and G20 meetings. It expresses concern about the particular vulnerability of women in the global South to health problems because of the ongoing issues of poverty and violence, and calls for

• safe and legal access to abortion to be part of this commitment to maternal health, as it is in Canada
• funding for those countries that provide abortions
• encouragement for countries that do not provide abortion to consider doing so

The following elements of the United Church's policy are emphasized in the letter:

• an emphasis on responsible sexuality
• a moral responsibility not to bring an unwanted child into the world
• recognition that there are situations when a woman and her partner may be in extremely difficult circumstances where they must decide whether or not to continue a pregnancy
• an emphasis on the decision to end a pregnancy being made thoughtfully by a woman in consultation with her doctor
• a call for adequate counseling, support, and services to be provided by medical facilities and social services for all processes related to conception and childbirth, including abortion
• a call for thorough education regarding responsible sexuality and conception

Learn more by reading

• the full letter [PDF: 2 pp/64 KB] to Prime Minister Stephen Harper
• the United Church's policy on abortion
• Moderator Mardi Tindal's blog entry "What would Nellie do?"