An Island woman who is campaigning to win a $1,000 regional youth leadership award is frustrated over an email sent by a board member of the P.E.I. Right to Life Association.
Kandace Hagen, one of the women who helped launch the P.E.I. Reproductive Rights Organization last year, is in second place to win a leadership award being hosted through the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation.
As part of the online contest, each of the eight ambassadors – two from each Atlantic province – have to make a pledge outlining how they’ll work to improve their community. Hagen pledged to continue working with the P.E.I. Reproductive Rights Organization to improve access to abortion services for Island women.
While the winner of the $1,000 award is free to do with it as they please, Hagen said she’d use the money to help cover transportation costs for women who need to travel off-Island to have an abortion.
The email in question was sent Monday (Feb. 20) by Ann Marie Tomlins. It encouraged supporters of the P.E.I. Right to Life Association to go online and vote against Hagen.
“Kandice Hagan (sic), who is trying to improve access to abortion in PEI is in second place. Tara Brinston is in first place. Please have all the youth you know sign in and vote for TARA BRINSTON (sic),” Tomlins wrote in her email. “We want to make sure that Kandice (sic) doesn’t win this award for youth leadership. The vote is close so please send this to all the youth and youth groups you know.”
Tomlins declined to comment on a personal email, but did say all polls are meant to be voted on so she reminded supporters of her group to vote.
“I will only state that the last thing our young women need is for a promoter of abortion on demand to be hailed as a hero,” Tomlins wrote in an email to Island Edition. “All sides on all issues rally their troops.”
Although the email frustrated Hagen, she understands Tomlin is only working toward her own goal.
“Abortion is something she feels strongly against,” said Hagen. “So I can understand why she would speak out against it. She has that right. But at the same time, we are fighting for a reproductive right that we have as Canadians – a right that Island women do not have full access to yet.”
Women on P.E.I. have to travel to a hospital on the mainland to receive the service. The province covers the costs of the service if it’s performed at a hospital, but only if a doctor recommends the procedure.
Hagen said in an earlier interview that she had trouble receiving accurate information and a referral from her family doctor and has since pledged to work to prevent women from going through the same ordeal she faced.
“We’ve been working so hard toward breaking down the status quo on P.E.I. in terms of abortion services,” said Hagen. “We’ve had so much local and international support, then to have someone come behind us and try to undo what we’re working toward is just very frustrating.”
As of 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Hagen received support from 346 people, while Tara Brinston of New Brunswick had support from 431 people. The contest runs until the end of the month.
Jordan MacPhee of Charlottetown is the second ambassador from the Island. He has received 86 pledges of support.
Note: The public can make a pledge of support for their youth ambassador of choice until the end of the month.
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