Straight thoughts 83

December 12th, 2001

According to Statistics Canada the Canadian birth rate hit a new low (1.5% fewer babies born in 1999 than 1998), but governments do not seem alarmed with the trend. The replacement rate is 2.1 per couple. In Canada we hit an all-time low of 1.528.

Governments are even pushing for less births. Incredibly we learnt this week that a "cap" on births and a 33% cut to women's services has been imposed at a hospital in Ottawa. Other Ottawa hospitals are full.

While we all understand the constraints in the health care budget, none of us can support the absurdity of paying with taxpayers' money for elective procedures, such as abortion, in hospitals and private clinics when services are cut for births.
Which mothers are going to be rejected? Where would they go?

Interestingly, none of the candidates for the Ontario PC leadership would consider stopping public funding of abortion, but implicitly approve of de-funding healthcare services.

It is another indication that the value of children, the most important asset of any society, is diminishing while compliance to political correctness is abundant.