The Liberal government has introduced legislation requiring charities that offer pregnancy counselling to disclose whether they offer abortions or birth control to clients or make referrals for the services.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Women and Gender Equality and Youth Minister Marci Ien announced the legislation at a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 29.
Ien accused some charities that operate crisis pregnancy centres of “actively working to spread misinformation about abortion, putting the health and safety of young people and vulnerable women at risk.” She said some organizations seek to convince clients to keep their pregnancies.
“Registered charities that provide pregnancy-related information, advice, or services as one of their main activities, and that do not provide abortion or birth control services or referrals for such services, must be upfront in their public communications,” she said. “Transparency is key to making sure individuals seeking help are not misled.”…