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Canada pledges $650 million to fund abortions overseas

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, December 12, 2016. | Reuters/Chris Wattie/File Photo

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the government will be spending $650 million in the next three years to provide reproductive health services, including abortions, in developing countries.

The announcement was made by Trudeau and International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on International Women's Day on Facebook.

According to CTV, the money will only be used to fund abortions in countries where it is legal. The funds will also be used to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence, including female genital mutilation, early forced marriages and post-abortion care.

An official has noted that the funds will not come out of the $3.5 billion dedicated to maternal, newborn and child health programming set up by the previous government.

Under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Muskoka Initiative, money contributed by Canada could not be used to facilitate abortions in third-world countries, according to Life News.

Campaign Life Coalition, the leading pro-life group in Canada, decried the decision.

"We are horrified by our government's decision to spend more than half a billion dollars on spreading abortion across the world," said Johanne Brownrigg, public affairs director for Campaign Life Coalition, as reported by Life Site News.

"Our nation, under Trudeau, has now become one of the world's top exporters of abortion and sterilization. I guess Trudeau's admiration for China's dictatorship and horrific family planning programs are now shaping Canada's foreign policy," she continued.

The announcement came after the U.S. government reinstated the Mexico City Policy, which halted funding for organizations that facilitate abortion overseas.

Mike Schouten, the spokesperson for WeNeedaLaw.ca, said that Canada's response to the re-enactment of the policy was "appalling."

"Why are we committing millions of taxpayer dollars that we don't even have, so that organizations such as International Planned Parenthood can continue to masquerade abortion as 'women's health care' in third-world countries?" Schouten asked.

The Trudeau administration also announced plans to remove parts of the Criminal Code that are no longer in use, including the provision banning abortions. The Supreme Court overturned the ban on abortions in 1988, stating that it was unconstitutional as it violated a woman's right to life, liberty and security of the person.