Uncategorized

Vancouver RU 486 Doctor Receives Death Threat

The day after Dr. Garson Romalis, an abortion provider in Vancouver, British Columbia, was stabbed outside of his medical office, another prominent Canadian doctor received a death threat on her answering service. Dr. Ellen Wiebe, an abortion provider who also recently initiated the first Canadian clinical trials of mifepristone, immediately called police and received an escort to her office. Due to the marked increase in violence against abortion providers and a notable drop in Canadian doctors who provide abortion services, healthcare professionals and government officials will be holding an emergency meeting to discuss security issues for doctors, nurses, clinic workers. Also on Thursday, the Canadian newspaper The Province received a call from a man claiming that a group called the “The Baby Liberation Army” was responsible for the stabbing and “They were sorry that [Romalis] didn’t die.” However, after consultation with law enforcement and Canadian and American pro-choice and anti-choice groups, all say they have no prior knowledge about such a group.

Recently, an anti-abortion advocate, Stockwell Day, won the leadership of the conservative Canadian Alliance party. Day, who also opposes lesbian and gay marriages, has been hailed as a major contender in the upcoming elections for prime minister. Marilyn Wilson, president of the Canadian Abortion Rights Action League, commented, “Day’s going to try and deny that he would support any violence, and maybe he wouldn’t follow up his beliefs with violence, but [our] position is that his platform and his rhetoric does incite other people who shares his beliefs against abortion to violence.”

Sources:

Vancouver Sun - 14 July 2000

Support eh ERA banner