Women given 'untrue' abortion info

Pregnancy centres in Canada that provide misleading information on abortions to discourage women...

Pregnancy centres in Canada that provide misleading information on abortions to discourage women from choosing them will not be tackled by the governmenrt, it has been reported.

The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care said it will not crack down on the centres that highlight the negatives of abortion without revealing their pro-life agenda.

Spokesman Andrew Morrison said: "We don't fund them, so we don't have a lot of oversight on them.

"As with these types of things that are sort of outside the ministry purview, it is 'buyer, beware' and a matter of people doing a bit of homework."

According to a Star article published in August 7, women facing unplanned pregnancies are often given untrue or misleading information about the physical or psychological risks of abortion by charitable organisations called crisis pregnancy centres.

A backlash over publicly funded crisis pregnancy centres in the United States resulted in truth-in-advertising legislation.

Jane Gauthier, interim executive director for the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health, said it would welcome consumer legislation.

She added: "I think that it's important that women have information about what the centre is really all about before they even step in the door."

Copyright © Press Association 2010

Abortion accused to change defence

Seemingly contradicting his own public statements, an attorney for the man accused of gunning...

Seemingly contradicting his own public statements, an attorney for the man accused of gunning down a Kansas abortion provider has argued in court documents that his client has an "absolute right" to present a defence that argues the killing was justified to stop abortion.

A defence motion made public Monday seeks to thwart prosecutors' efforts to ban the so-called necessity defence from Scott Roeder's murder and aggravated assault trial. A hearing on the issue is set for Dec. 22.

"For the Court to grant the State's motion to prohibit `any evidence' in support of the necessity defence would be premature, and contrary to Kansas law," the defense wrote. "In addition, it would be rank speculation on the part of the state (and the Court if it were to grant said Motion) as to the purpose of any and all evidence that the Defendant may seek to introduce."

Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, is charged with one count of first-degree murder in Dr George Tiller's death and two counts of aggravated assault for allegedly threatening two ushers who tried to stop him during the May 31 melee in the foyer of the doctor's Wichita church. Roeder has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go to trial on Jan 11.

He told The Associated Press on November 9 that he shot Tiller to protect unborn children and he planned to present a necessity defence at his trial. He also said one of his two public defenders, Mark Rudy, had given him the "green light" to talk to the media about it.

But the following day, lead defence attorney Steve Osburn told reporters the necessity defence did not exist in Kansas law and the defence team did not plan to present that strategy.

"We have explored that possibility," Osburn said at the time. "That does not seem to be the approach that is viable, nor is it the approach we intend to use."