In an all-candidates debate yesterday, BC Liberal candidate Laurie Throness from the constituency of Chilliwack Kent weighed in on the BC NDP’s plan to provide free contraception.
Throness compared contraception to eugenics and has been under fire for his remarks.
“And the other thing that I feel about this is that it contains a whiff of the old eugenics thing where, you know, poor people shouldn't have babies. And so we can't force them to have contraception so we'll give it to them for free. And maybe they'll have fewer babies. So there will be fewer poor people in the future. And to me, that contains an odor that I don't like. And so I don't really support what the NDP is doing there.”
Today, after discussions with the leader, Laurie Throness has announced he is stepping down as a candidate in the upcoming provincial election.
The statement issued by the party says it was clear that Throness could not be part of the B.C. Liberal team. It says the party is dedicated to a diversity of perspectives, but all party members are dedicated to inclusiveness and equality, which is not up for debate.
On Thursday, BC Liberal Party Leader Andrew Wilkinson took to Twitter to address Throness's remarks.
What Laurie Throness said was wrong and against my position as leader of this party. I will be making this very clear to Laurie when we next speak.
— Andrew Wilkinson (@Wilkinson4BC) October 15, 2020
Let’s be clear, I support government providing free contraception to anyone in B.C who wants it. #bcpoli #BCElection2020
— Andrew Wilkinson (@Wilkinson4BC) October 15, 2020
Throness, who was the member for Chilliwack-Kent in the last legislature, has been under fire in the past for telling the media he would continue to buy advertising in a Christian magazine that published articles supporting conversation therapy for LGBTQ people.
Throness's name will appear on the ballot for the provincial election on October 24th.
Photo courtesy of Twitter.
