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Montreal, February 9, 2023 (Google Translate, French original here) - The pro-life organization Campagne Québec-Vie (CQV) is asking that decision-makers, at the provincial and federal levels, once again consider the issue of abortion, in light of a report by a whistleblower that an operating theater team at Sacré Coeur Hospital in Montreal killed an unborn child at 38 weeks gestation by lethal injection.

"At the request of a mother who was no doubt in difficulty, the personnel of the Sacré Cœur hospital in Montreal allegedly put to death a 38-week-old baby, that is to say a fully formed child, who could have easily survived birth and make an adoptive couple happy," said Georges Buscemi, president of CQV.

On the morning of February 1, a whistleblower contacted another Montreal pro-life organization through social media to report that she was aware of an exceptional meeting of medical staff at Sacré Coeur Hospital of Montreal, to discuss how a late abortion at 38 weeks scheduled for the next morning will proceed. Later that day, a pro-life citizen of Montreal, Marie-Josée Rivest, reacting to an email from CQV about the planned abortion, called the hospital and spoke with an employee of the obstetrics department from the hospital who would have confirmed that this late abortion was going to take place the following day. Unfortunately, according to the statements of the whistleblower, the abortion would have taken place as planned, on Thursday, February 2 at around 8 a.m. "More than 100 people have reported their dismay at this news of the death of what some now call baby Daniel," says Georges Buscemi .

According to Dr. Paul Saba : “From the account of an English Canadian newspaper, The Catholic Register, it appears that 'baby Daniel' did not have a serious medical condition preventing his life. As I have no personal knowledge of the case, I want to respond to the social and human injustice of poverty which leads to abortion. According to a 2005 study published by the Guttmacher Institute, 73% of American women who decided to abort their babies cited financial concerns as the main reason. Do we justify the abortion of babies based on the socio-economic status of the woman, including her mailing address or without an address (homeless)? Economic reasons should not be used as an excuse to prevent pregnant mothers from having their babies. These mothers must benefit from better medical, psychological, financial, educational and social support. It is a question of justice and fairness. »

Campagne Québec-Vie invites the media to a press conference on Friday, February 10 at 12 p.m., at the corner of rue Fréchette and boul. Gouin Ouest, not far from the Sacré Coeur hospital . Dr. Paul Saba, Georges Buscemi and Marie-Josée Rivest will be present there to give their testimonies and answer questions from the media.

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Media contacts:

Georges Buscemi, president and spokesperson for Campagne Québec-Vie (514) 928-4819
Dr. Paul Saba, family physician (514) 866-3447

Update, February 13, 2023 -- Here is the complete press conference :

On February 10, a media relations spokesperson for the CIUSSS Montréal-Nord (a group of health care facilities which includes Sacred-Heart Hospital) denied, via an email sent to Georges Buscemi, president of CQV, that a "feticide" took place on February 2 at Sacred Heart Hospital, and affirmed that no such intervention ever takes place there. However, CQV considers it odd that, when asked to affirm or deny that a 38-week abortion took place at said hospital on February 2-- an unfortunately legal act in Canada -- the media relations spokesperson decided to deny that a "feticide" took place. But a "feticide", according to the Office de la langue française du Québec, the authority on the use of French language terminology in the province, is a "murder" according to canadian law, whereas abortion is not. But our question to the media spokesperson was not whether a "feticide" or "murder" of a 38-week unborn child took place, but whether an "abortion" took place. The latter, as of the writing of this statement, having never been denied by any representative of Sacré Coeur hospital, we consider the statement issued on February 10 to be a pseudo-denial, and that it remains more than probable that an abortion at 38 weeks' gestation took place on February 2, 2023 at Sacred Heart Hospital in Montreal.