One of the five candidates running for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party on P.E.I. has sparked a divisive debate on abortion with his policy platform to restrict government to only funding abortions deemed "medically necessary."

Kevin Arsenault says the current policy of the P.E.I. government allowing women to self-refer for an abortion "without even seeing a doctor, that eliminated the assessment that those abortions were medically required. It simply made it abortion on demand."

Speaking at a CBC radio debate for the five leadership candidates, Arsenault said he's "spoken with and listened to a lot of women who've had abortions and they tell me it's not a decision they really wanted to make."

Arsenault said he would "take the money from the public purse that's going to abortions that are not medically required and put it into programs that address those difficult circumstances for women who really don't want to have abortions."

Kevin Arsenault believes government funding for abortions should be restricted. (Laura Meader/CBC)

The other four candidates said they would leave the province's abortion policy as-is.

"I frankly find it very challenging to hear Kevin say that it's his opinion that abortions are not medically necessary," said Sarah Stewart-Clark, the only woman in the leadership race.

During the debate Arsenault challenged Stewart-Clark's assertion that "if a woman chooses to have an abortion, then it is considered a medically-necessary procedure."

"That is absolutely not true," Arsenault said, inviting her to quote a legal source to confirm her statement "and I'll give you a hundred-dollar, crisp bill."

"I really disagree and I really find it inappropriate the way you're addressing this issue," Stewart-Clark replied.

Sarah Stewart-Clark believes abortion is a woman's choice. (Laura Meader/CBC)

Leadership candidate Dennis King said the party needs to do a better job engaging with women in a discussion on topics like abortion.

"I am pro-choice," he said. "I don't feel I have any standing as a 47-year-old man to tell a woman what she should do or can do with her body."

Dennis King said as a man he doesn't feel it's his place to tell a woman what to do with her body. (Laura Meader/CBC)

Identifying himself as pro-life, Shawn Driscoll said he wouldn't change the abortion policy but said the province needs to provide "better education … easier adoption services so that women find there are options for them."

Shawn Driscoll said he wouldn't change the abortion policy, but he is personally pro-life. (Laura Meader/CBC)

Allan Dale said abortion is a divisive issue the party shouldn't delve into. "Right now where we are in our journey… we're trying to build this party. We're trying to bring everybody together.… I don't think it's the appropriate place to have this conversation."

Allan Dale said he wouldn't change the abortion policy, but didn't think the discussion was appropriate. (Laura Meader/CBC)

Arsenault launched his own legal challenge against the P.E.I. government in 2016, unsuccessfully seeking to limit the province's funding for abortions.

That same year, facing another court challenge from abortion rights activists, Premier Wade MacLauchlan announced the province would begin providing abortion services within P.E.I., after decades of requiring women travel to the mainland for the service.

Arsenault says hundreds of pro-life supporters have signed up as new party members. At least two websites have posted analyses of the five leadership candidates, ranking Arsenault as the top candidate for his "pro-life policies and principles."

Groups hoping to elect anti-abortion leader

Co-founder of the group RightNow Scott Hayward said his group's website has directed "a few hundred" people to sign up online for membership in the P.E.I. Progressive Conservative party.

Hayward said the group is hoping to help elect a pro-life leader to the PC Party.

"We look to get involved [in races] wherever we can," Hayward said, saying his group worked to win support for Andrew Scheer's bid for the federal Conservative leadership.

"But especially because of the recent changes to the Island in regards to abortion, that's something we would like to see reversed sooner rather than later."

Scott said all the people his group directed to the PC Party are Island residents, which they have to be in order to be eligible to join.

The PC leadership convention takes place in Charlottetown on Feb. 9. (Laura Meader/CBC)

The PC Party couldn't confirm whether those particular memberships had been received, saying it's still in the process of vetting membership applications.

Online voting in the leadership race begins Friday, with the leadership convention set for Feb. 9.

More P.E.I. news