(The B.C. Catholic) A leading Canadian pregnancy-information organization has launched a multi-platform campaign to counter what it calls the “threat, false accusations, and misleading narratives” that the federal Liberal government is wielding to buttress its 2021 election promise to strip pregnancy-care centres of their charity status.
Pregnancy Care Canada’s initiative coincides with a mid-summer public-relations campaign by pro-abortion groups urging the Trudeau Liberals not to renege on their controversial charity-status election-platform pledge.
The Liberals promised to remove charity status from “anti-abortion organizations” that they said “provide dishonest counselling to women about their rights and about the options available to them at all states of the pregnancy.”
Pregnancy Care’s executive director, Dr. Laura Lewis, pointed out in an email interview that theoretically the 82 PCC member groups should be safe from the Liberal threat because they do not provide “dishonest counselling” and are always transparent on all options available to pregnant women, including abortion.
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a resource for women facing unexpected pregnancy/Via The B.C. Catholic
“If the criterion for charitable-status revocation is dishonest counselling, and if this criterion were justly applied, then Pregnancy Care Canada and our affiliated centres would be exempt,” Dr. Lewis said. “We are committed to providing honest and accurate information on all pregnancy options. Integrity is a core value in all that we do.”
Nevertheless in order to counter the Liberal government’s threat Pregnancy Care Canada has provided clarifying information through its blog and the Frequently Asked Questions section of its website, has updated its resource booklets (such as its Pregnancy Options Guide), and most recently has launched a media campaign entitled “Powered by Care: unexpected pregnancy meets unexpected strength.”
The FAQ section, for example, states that pregnancy care centres serve individuals and families impacted by unexpected pregnancies and that support is offered free of charge to anyone who voluntarily requests it.
“Before receiving any services, all clients are made aware that the centre does not provide or assist in arranging abortions,” the FAQ says. “Staff and volunteers provide medically accurate information on all three options: abortion, adoption, and parenting.”
Upon taking office last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland the task, through a ministerial mandate, of implementing the campaign pledge. Since then, Conservative MPs have presented nine petitions to the House of Commons opposing the plan.
In a statement last April the non-partisan organization Imagine Canada, which supports Canadian charities, called the Liberal plan “unnecessary and misguided.” Bruce MacDonald, the organization’s president, said, “It’s our preference that the government not bring charities into highly partisan issues.”
In May, the government formally responded to one of the tabled petitions by saying it is still committed to ensuring that centres providing dishonest counselling are stripped of their charitable status. It gave no timeline for acting.
In August, The Tyee, a left-leaning online publication, published a feature quoting several pro-abortion groups calling for the government to act swiftly on its promise. The Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada charged that the activities of the country’s 148 pregnancy-information centres “threaten Canadians’ access to abortion services and undermine other government efforts to improve access.”
The story quoted Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights (previously known as Planned Parenthood Canada) saying the centres are “anti-abortion organizations disguised as clinics.”
The Liberal pledge and the pro-abortion groups’ attacks on pregnancy-information centres represents yet another attack on truth and the value of life, said Father Larry Lynn, the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s pro-life chaplain.
“We are living in a social environment that is heavily influenced by ideology,” Father Lynn said in an interview. “The truth is a major casualty if it doesn't line up with progressive thinking. And when the power of the government and of the press is brought to bear on an issue, truth is eradicated.”
He said it is clear that the greater agenda of the “progressive movement” is to “streamline the way we procreate, get rid of the fodder.” Such a “cold, Darwinian view” of the human race “is incompatible with the transcendent view that there is a tender God who created us and loves us,” he said.
“So, of course, lies will be told to discredit those who are advancing ideas and actions that support the truth — the truth such as pregnancy centres compassionately support women throughout their pregnancies.”
Lewis said no charity should be dishonest in the information it provides, regardless of the sector in which it operates. “Regarding [Freeland’s] mandate, we are hopeful the government will give further clarity of the definition of ‘dishonest’ counselling and how such a mandate would be implemented across the charitable section,” she said. “At this time, it is unclear how or if these actions will occur.”
Lewis said charitable status is important to the ongoing sustainability and growth of the pregnancy-care centres because it provides a financial benefit to donors and reflects compliance with federal standards, both of which encourage financial giving.
Nevertheless, “The mission and work of pregnancy care centres will not end if the Liberal government revokes charity status,” Lewis said. “Our work is a practical expression of our faith. We will continue to compassionately care for those we are privileged to serve.”
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Over the past 24 years:
• 190,741 women and men accessed help at Pregnancy Care Canada-affiliated pregnancy centres.
• 188,158 client visits for material supplies, such as diapers, formula, and clothing.
• 18,879 clients helped through prenatal education.
• 33,000 clients helped through parenting programs.
• 10,470 women requested and received support after their abortion.
• Tens of thousands assisted through phone calls, text messages, and online.
(Source: pregnancycarecanada.ca)
Editor's note: This article was published by The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted with permission.
