Carolyn Bennett says there are whispers in the corridors of a major women’s reproductive-health conference in Washington, condemning Canada for not funding abortion as part of its G8 maternal-health initiative.

“Lots of buzz ... huge disappointment (with) Canada,” said the Liberal MP and health critic. Ms. Bennett is also a medical doctor.

Ms. Bennett attended the three-day conference, Women Deliver, in which major players from around the world, including many from developing countries, are looking at maternal-health issues in advance of the G8 summit.

A critic of the Harper’s government decision not to fund abortion as part of their initiative, Ms. Bennett said that delegates yesterday were asking her, “What’s happening to your country?”

Ms. Bennett said that Susan Cohen, head of government affairs at the Guttmacher Institute, a non-profit organization in the U.S. that promotes reproductive health, referred to Canada as an “evidence-free zone.”

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