Wednesday, May 28, 2008

A Ruling That Will Save Lives

I've made it clear before that I support Insite and that the right thing to do based on overwhelming scientific evidence that the program works, was to extend its license. Therefore I was very glad to see this ruling as I had little faith the Conservatives would do the right thing before the license expired June 30th. This is a matter of public health as much as Conservatives would like to argue otherwise. So Insite has been granted a one year reprieve by the BC Supreme Court in line with the wishes of the BC Government and by June 30th, 2009 I expect we will have a Liberal government that will ensure this program that is supported by the Vancouver and BC governments, the scientific community and compassionate individuals alike continues on as it should.

It is unfortunate though that once again Stephen Harper has failed the test of leadership and had to have the right decision forced on him. Harper and Clement said they would listen to the evidence and they refused, bending to ideology instead. I would hope at the least that Harper wouldn't be so galling as to spend taxpayer money to appeal this to the Canadian Supreme Court. Shameful actions to be sure, but what matters most right now is that lives will be saved by Insite continuing to operate beyond June 30th.


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