Canada Supreme Court Won’t Hear Lawsuit on Taxpayer-Funded Abortions 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 23, 2006
Ottawa, Canada (LifeNews.com) — The Supreme Court of Canada has decided not to hear a women’s lawsuit seeking to have their abortions paid for with taxpayer dollars. Two women wanted the province of Manitoba to pay for their abortions even though they had them at private abortion businesses rather than a state-funded health center.
The women put together a class action lawsuit against the provincial government because they say they had to be placed on an eight-week waiting list for an abortion at a government-funded hospital. There was no wait for an abortion at a private abortion facility.
The province pays for abortions at public medical centers as required by Canadian law.
In December 2004, a Canadian judge ruled the province had to pay for abortions whether they were performed at a public-backed facility or not.
But in September, a Court of Appeal backed part of Manitoba’s challenge to that ruling and said the case could proceed to trial.
Health Minister Tim Sale asked the top court to side with the Court of Appeal and allow it to determine how best to spend its limited health care dollars.
The Canadian high court does not give a reason for declining to hear cases.
