Canada: Law to stop coerced abortions faces uphill battle

By BRIAN LILLEY
 Parliamentary Bureau
November 1, 2010

OTTAWA — Debate was feisty Monday morning in the House of Commons as MPs argued the pros and cons of a private member's bill that would make it a crime to coerce a woman into having an abortion.

Winnipeg MP Rod Bruinooge, chairman of the parliamentary pro-life caucus, introduced Bill C-510. The bill proposes up to a five-year prison sentence for a person found guilty of coercing a woman into having an abortion, and up to two years for a person found guilty of attempting to coerce a woman to do so.

“This will send a clear message to everyone in Canada that coercing a woman into ending her pregnancy when she has chosen to remain pregnant won’t be tolerated,” Bruinooge told the Commons as debate began on his bill. the rest