OTTAWA—Three Conservative MPs have written to the country’s top Mountie calling for a national investigation into late-term abortions they say are possible murders.

Maurice Vellacott (Saskatoon—Wanuskewin), Leon Benoit (Vegreville—Wainwright) and Wladyslaw Lizon (Mississauga East—Cooksville) wrote to RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson on Vellacott’s parliamentary letterhead on Jan. 23, 2012.

In an interview, Vellacott told the Star the RCMP had not yet confirmed receipt of their letter.

But Vellacott said he fully expects the Mounties to undertake a “serious, forensic investigation,” using judicial warrants to probe hospital and clinic files to determine whether there have been failed abortions that ought to have led to criminal homicide charges.

In the letter the MPs write: “These killings appear to have started out as attempted abortions, but the babies were born alive.”

The letter is the latest salvo in ongoing efforts by certain backbench Conservative MPs to tighten or further restrict access to or public funding for abortions.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has declined to throw the government’s weight behind any of the efforts, but did restrict Canada’s international aid money from going to abortion services in developing countries.

In the Commons Thursday, Harper again was forced to address the issue publicly, when asked by NDP MP Megan Leslie to “make it clear abortion is not murder.”

Harper appeared to swiftly kill any chance the RCMP would undertake a criminal investigation.

“I think all members of this House, whether they agree with it or not, understand that abortion is legal in Canada and this government, myself included, have made it very clear that the government does not intend to change the law in this regard,” said Harper during question period.

Jeanette Doucet, a spokesperson for Canadians For Choice, a not-for-profit organization that promotes education and awareness about abortion access in Canada, said there is no law that criminalizes abortion at any stage, late-term or otherwise, and said she was “puzzled” by the MPs’ move.

“I fear this could turn into a type of witch-hunt against providers of late-term abortion,” which Doucet stressed occurs for medical reasons and is rare in Canada.

Liberal interim leader Bob Rae deplored the Conservative MPs’ effort to politically direct the RCMP: “I don’t think the application of the criminal law in Canada should be subject to political pressure of any kind whatsoever from any source whatsoever and I regret the fact that members (of Parliament) are doing this because it creates the sense that somehow this is determination is a political determination.”

Rae said there has long been a “common understanding that the decision to terminate a pregnancy is not a criminal act and that is the law of Canada and I think it’s important we all start from that premise.”

In the letter, posted Wednesday to Vellacott’s parliamentary website, the three MPs quote a pro-life blog that points to a Statistics Canada search engine on the government website.

The blog notes between 2000-2009, there were 491 deaths across Canada where Statistics Canada classified cause of death as “Termination of pregnancy, affecting fetus and newborn.”

They cite the blog’s suggestion the deaths were the result of abortions at 20 weeks’ gestation and more that resulted in live births, where an aborted fetus died after it was born. The MPs write: “These killings appear to have started out as attempted abortions, but the babies were born alive.”

They also claim the annual number grew in 2010-11, and argue “the killing of Canadian children may continue to grow if these apparent crimes are not investigated, and the perpetrators prosecuted.”

The MPs cite section 223(2) of the Criminal Code. Specifically, that section says “A person commits homicide when he causes injury to a child before or during its birth as a result of which the child dies after becoming a human being.”

The MPs state: “therefore ... there should be 491 homicide investigations or prosecutions in connection with these deaths.”

But advocates of a woman’s right to choose an abortion cite Statistics Canada reports that fewer than one per cent of abortions take place past 20 weeks gestation, and that nearly 90 per cent occur in the first trimester, before 13 weeks gestation.

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Vellacott told the Star he did not have specific incidents or individuals in mind, but believes the RCMP has the “all the resources and authorities” to pursue facts and details with search warrants. He said the statistics that he has provided give the Mounties the necessary reason to believe or suspect that crimes have been committed.

She was questioned about her personal support for a private members’ bill against sex-selective abortions.

“I believe abortion should be safe, legal and rare,” said Ambrose, who went on to say: “This is an issue that women are not interested in debating.”