Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Josee Verner called the comments "unacceptable. It is well-known that I am pro-choice," the minister told reporters in Quebec city on Monday. "To suggest that we could reopen the debate on abortion is unacceptable."
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, attending the Campagne Pro-Vie conference in Quebec City on Saturday, suggested that abortion can never be justified, even in cases where a woman has been raped. He called abortion a "moral crime" as serious as murder.
Ouellet said he understands how a sexually assaulted woman has been traumatized and must be helped, and that her attacker must be held accountable. "But there is already a victim," he said. "Must there be another one?"
The comments from Ouellet come as the abortion issue, long dormant in national politics, has begun heating up again. Ouellet applauded the Harper government for its stance against funding abortions in the developing world.
Canadian officials say they will instead focus the G8 plan on other measures aimed at improving the health of women and children in poor countries — including safe drinking water, nutrition and immunization programs. But, Verner replied that the government isn't looking for endorsements like the one from Ouellet.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/05/17/ouellet-marois-abortion-rape.html
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