Catholic students earn volunteer hours for anti-abortion activities
Wynne, Hunter say not appropriate for mandatory community service
Catholic high school students in Hamilton can earn volunteer hours by attending anti-abortion prayer demonstrations — but both the premier and education minister say such activities are not appropriate for the mandatory community service required for graduation.
“Each school board is responsible for developing a list of community involvement activities that the board considers acceptable,” Education Minister Mitzie Hunter said in a statement to the Toronto Star.
“We expect boards to develop a list of approved activities in consultation” with parent councils and other committees, and “in this case, providing these credits for such use does not seem to be what these community involvement activities were designed for, and we’re currently looking into the matter.”
At an unrelated announcement on Friday, Premier Kathleen Wynne was surprised to learn students were earning credit for antiabortion activities when asked about the issue by a reporter, who also said teens had allegedly been offered deals to earn more hours than they put in to attend.
“That is the first I’ve heard of that, and I will just say that was never the intention of the 40 hours of volunteer work,” Wynne said.
The abortion issue has recently resurf aced at Queen’s Park, after Wynne’s Liberal government tabled new legislation to ban protests near clinics, pharmacies that dispense pregnancy termination pills as well as the homes of doctors and staff.
Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic board Chair Pat Daly said the required 40 community service hours — which his board calls Christian service hours — can include “pro-life activity similar to many other types of social justice issues.” He said students can only earn hours they put in. The demonstrations are usually held at busy intersections where attendees pray silently and may carry anti-abortion signs.
“This is very, very different than participating” in a protest, he also said.