The federal government has introduced legislation that would require charities providing reproductive health services to clearly state whether they provide abortions or abortion referrals.
Organizations that do not clearly communicate to their clients whether they provide these services risk losing their charity status.
Minister for Women and Gender Equality Marcy Ien said on Tuesday that the bill aims to counter the spread of “misinformation” by some charities.
“People walk in the door of a pregnancy crisis center expecting information about all the options available to them,” Ien said at a press conference.
“They are encountering organizations that impose anti-choice beliefs on them.”
The new rules will require charities that provide pregnancy counseling to tell customers if they do not provide abortion services, referrals or information about abortion services, or information about birth control or birth control.
Registered charities have certain benefits under the tax system, including the ability to issue tax-free donation receipts.
During the 2021 election campaign, the Liberal Party promised to strip charity status from anti-abortion groups that offer what it called “dishonest counseling.”
The Liberal Party has become increasingly vocal about abortion in recent weeks, seeking to make the issue a central part of the U.S. presidential campaign against the Conservatives, who have several anti-abortion MPs in their caucus.
