WORLD : Canada Unveils Abortion Bill
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OTTAWA — The Canadian government unveiled an abortion law today that allows a woman to end her pregnancy at any time if a doctor believes her life or health is threatened.
The long-awaited legislation will fill the void created when Canada’s Supreme Court struck down a more restrictive law last year but will end what has become a practice of abortion on demand that resulted from the lack of an abortion law.
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s government had promised new legislation since the previous law was declared unconstitutional in January, 1988.
“The bill introduced today establishes that the question of abortion is a medical decision to be made between a woman and her doctor, based on health grounds,” Justice Minister Doug Lewis told reporters.
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