New Democrat MPPs Andrea Horwath (Hamilton East) and Shelley Martel (Nickel Belt) sounded the alarm today over massive cuts to The Scarborough Hospital’s Sexual Assault Care Centre, which will cripple its ability to provide medical treatment to women who have been raped.

They say the acclaimed service at the Scarborough Grace Campus, which treats women immediately after they have been raped or sexually assaulted, will be hobbled as of December 31, due to a lack of McGuinty government funding.

Horwath, the NDP Women’s Issues Critic, used today’s Question Period to demand that McGuinty’s Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues, Sandra Pupatello, “take action and stop the cuts” before month’s end.

“There will be no specially trained doctors available to provide medically necessary services to women in crisis. You’re the Minister responsible for women’s issues. Why are you allowing this to happen?” Horwath told Pupatello.

Referring to a letter from Dr. Rosalind Zucker pleading with the McGuinty government to continue funding specially trained on-call doctors at Grace’s “crucial resource”, Horwath noted the cuts will be particularly detrimental to women in Scarborough and East Toronto.

“For the Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues to accept that there will be no specially trained doctors on call for women who are raped is totally unacceptable,” said Horwath.

NDP Health Critic Shelley Martel says doctors like Zucker work on-call to be available at night and on weekends when raped and sexually assaulted women need care. She blames health minister George Smitherman for ignoring urgent calls for help when he knew for at least two months that the Centre’s services were in jeopardy.

“The McGuinty government has told Dr. Zucker to wait until a new Ontario Medical Association deal rolls around in 2008,” Martel said. “Women traumatized by rape and sexual assault can’t wait that long. This serious issue is clearly not a priority for this government.”

Horwath agreed, saying cuts at the Grace fit a pattern “of McGuinty Liberals not doing what they promised in the area of violence against women.” She likened their failure to ensure the availability of treatment for sexual assault victims to their promise to invest in transitional housing for women and children fleeing domestic violence. “It’s just not happening and that’s a real crime,” Horwath said.