Over 1,600 Sign Petition to Revoke Charitable Tax Status of Anti-choice Groups

NATIONAL – Over 70% of anti-abortion groups in Canada have charitable tax status, but their charity designation should be revoked because these groups challenge the Charter right of pregnant people to have an abortion, says the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC). Over 1,600 Canadians have signed a petition:

Petition: www.change.org/p/government-of-canada-revoke-charitable-tax-status-of-anti-choice-groups

As the petition states: “Anti-choice groups do not meet requirements for charitable tax status because they do not serve any public benefit, act to oppose human rights, and are harmful and discriminatory.”

“All anti-abortion charities use medical misinformation and ideological propaganda to advance their message,” said Joyce Arthur, Executive Director of Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada. “This fails the requirement that charities be ‘truthful, accurate, and not misleading’.”

About one-third of anti-abortion charities are advocacy groups that spread propaganda and support the criminalization of abortion, while two-thirds are “counselling” agencies that try to persuade women against abortion using false information and often unprofessional counselling strategies.

ARCC is asking all party leaders, that if they form the new government, they will commit to requiring the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to undertake a review of the 220 “charitable” anti-choice groups with the aim of revoking their charity status. The petition also asks that the CRA not allow new anti-choice groups to become charities, and to require that charities not work to oppose Charter and human rights, as per the similar requirement for the Canada Summer Jobs program.

“It’s simply unacceptable for organizations to be collecting charitable donations that are used to challenge and restrict the rights of women,” said Arthur.

Resources:

• ARCC’s lists of anti-choice (and pro-choice) groups
• Position Paper: Why anti-choice groups should not have charitable tax status (English only)
• Jan 2018 press release: Revoke Charitable Status of Anti-choice Groups, says Pro-choice Group
• Position Paper: Abortion is a Charter Right (English only)

Media Contacts:

Joyce Arthur	Executive Director / Directrice generale, ARCC-CDAC, Vancouver	joyce@arcc-cdac.ca	604-351-0867
Kathy Dawson	Alberta Pro-Choice Coalition, Edmonton	kathy@arcc-cdac.ca	780-914-4695
Carolyn Egan	Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics, Toronto	c.egan@sympatico.ca	416-806-7985
Robyn Schwarz	London Pro-choice, London ON	schwarzrobyne@gmail.com	226-236-9095
Julie Lalonde (parle français)	ARCC-CDAC, Ottawa	julie.s.lalonde@gmail.com	613-301-2697
Mariane Labrecque (parle français)	Federation du Quebec pour le planning des naissances (FQPN), Montreal	mlabrecque@fqpn.qc.ca	514-543-1477
Christopher Kaposy, PhD	Ethicist, Memorial University / Éthicien, Universite Memorial, St. Johns NL / T.-N.	christopher.kaposy@med.mun.ca	709-864-3375 (w / bur.)