(News) Leak of abortion information creates turmoil at Foothills

Richard Cairney

Canadian Medical Association Journal, CMAJ
Canadian Medical Association Journal

Extract

The Calgary Regional Health Authority (CRHA)has won a court judgement preserving the private, confidential nature of documents concerning genetic terminations of pregnancy that were leaked to Alberta Report by one or more angry pro-life nurses. . . .The controversy erupted after one or more members of the nursing staff at Foothills leaked confidential documents to the magazine. The resulting articles were filled with loaded language — “genetic terminations unquestionably constitute murder” and “the abortionist might well be guilty of culpable homicide” are 2 examples. . . ..


Cairney R. Leak of abortion information creates turmoil at Foothills. Can. Med. Assoc. J.. 1999;161(4):424-425.

(News) “Democracy was never intended for degenerates”: Alberta’s flirtation with eugenics comes back to haunt it

Richard Cairney

Canadian Medical Association Journal, CMAJ
Canadian Medical Association Journal

Abstract
An Alberta woman recently won a lawsuit against the government of Alberta for wrongful sterilization that took place when she was a 14-year-old ward at the Provincial Training School for Mental Defectives. It was the first time the province has been held accountable for actions taken under the Sexual Sterilization Act, a 1927 law that promoted the theory of eugenics and led to the sterilization of more than 2800 people. It has since been repealed. A physician who served on the province’s Eugenics Board said the decisions were based on the best scientific advice and medical techniques available at the time. Today, she added, eugenics is being practised in a different way through prenatal diagnosis and therapeutic abortion..


Cairney R. “Democracy was never intended for degenerates”: Alberta’s flirtation with eugenics comes back to haunt it. Can. Med. Assoc. J.. 1996;155(6):789-792.