Election 2004 and the abortion issue

Janet Epp Buckingham writes on the flap over Rob Merrifield's comments in The Globe and Mail in "Is Abortion a Sacred Cow?" Stating that only 29 percent of Canadians believe that "the law should not protect the unborn but only protect babies from the point of birth", she argues that life issues should always be on the table, particularly in an election campaign. If so, then why are virtually all the politicians in the major parties, including the Conservatives, reluctant to see them brought up?