In the midst of an election campaign in Alberta, Canada, the subject of fertility has reached the headlines.
The election is for Premier of Alberta, the chief executive of the Province. The seat is currently held by Progressive Conservative Leader Alison Redford, who is facing Wildrose Party Leader Danielle Smith.
Though both candidates have promised a clean campaign, one of Redford’s staffers may have missed that memo.
On Friday, Redford staffer Amanda Wilkie, tweeted:
“If @ElectDanielle likes young and growing families so much, why doesn’t she have children of her own?’ Ms. Wilkie wrote, along with “#wrp family pack = insincere.”
The staffer was said to be a low-level person not even involved in the campaign. However, Ms. Smith chose to respond to the accusation, stating:
“When David and I married in 2006 we intended to have children together. After a few years we sought help from the Calgary Regional Fertility Clinic. I appreciated the support and assistance of the caring staff as we went through tests and treatments, but in the end we were not successful.”
The response may help Smith with older, rural voters who may have questioned her decision to not have children.
