Do not become complacent about the right to abortion in Canada. Right now there are no laws in Canada regulating abortion. We do not want the politicians to change that. We are one of the only countries in the world were there are no legal restrictions, and where abortion is governed by the Canada Health Act. Sadly regulations and accessibility still differs per province. The reason for this mostly unrestricted access was the work of Dr Henry Morgentaler. He fought the government arguing ALL women should have access to safe abortions in Canada.
In 1988, the Supreme court of Canada struck down the Abortion law from 1969, which was extremely restrictive. Under the 1969 law you had to present yourself to a committee of 3 people at certain hospitals in large urban centers. If you were a teen you had to bring your parents, if you were married you had to bring your husband. The committee would decide if you should have access to abortion. In some hospitals the committee did nothing but exist. It never approved one abortion.
Depending on your geographical location, it was almost impossible for some women to have access to a safe abortion before 1990. And in some provinces like PEI, there were no services and women typically had to travel to Moncton, NB to be able to obtain a legal abortion. This makes abortions especially hard to obtain for the young and the poor. Still today access is restricted by geographic location. Those in remote communities have to travel far to have access to safe abortions.
When I had an abortion in 1987 - I had to have an illegal one. I was lucky that Montreal had a Morgentaler clinic, near Metro Honore Beaugrand. It cost me $350 and the visit took one hour. No one shamed me, Dr Morgentaler had amazing bedside manner and made patients feel comfortable, with this procedure no one wants to have. If I'd lived in a small village in Northern Quebec, would I even had been aware of the Morgantaler clinic? Would anyone have told me? Or would I have been shamed in carrying an unwanted pregnancy?
While it was REALLY difficult to have the abortion and I had very little time to think once I realized I was pregnant [I was at least 10 weeks when I took pregnancy test - which back then you took your morning urine to a pharmacy and they called back 2 days later] I know by the time I had abortion I was close to cutoff date for first trimester abortions. I was one of those women who's cycle varied from 14 days to 42 days. I'm also a woman who used birth control and still got pregnant.
Women's reproductive rights should belong to women/afab. Being able to decide to terminate a pregnancy should be a right every woman/afab person has. Women from my grandmother's generation have died or bleed so much during childbirth, they had brain damage. Both my mom and grandma were told not to have any more children by their family doctor, as the next one would probably end their life. Having me nearly killed my mom and made her health poor until I was six. My grandma was scolded often by the parish priest for only having 3 children in the Catholic Quebec of 1930's.
Women pay a HIGH PRICE to carry children they DO want. They should not have to choose between their life and carrying an unwanted child or an unhealthy child or a stillborn one. They should never be retaken into a police station and interrogated or jailed EVER for miscarrying or safely terminating their pregnancy. One in three women have at least one miscarriage in their life time. It's traumatic enough to go through without others trying to decide if you should be labelled a killer never mind facing legal consequences. No woman should ever have to justify why she terminated a pregnancy or lost a baby. The emotional scars stay with us for life just from the events itself.
Note, I use the term woman, but please know this rant includes anyone who physically can be pregnant no matter what label you use or how you identify, I am thinking about your rights too.
In 1988, the Supreme court of Canada struck down the Abortion law from 1969, which was extremely restrictive. Under the 1969 law you had to present yourself to a committee of 3 people at certain hospitals in large urban centers. If you were a teen you had to bring your parents, if you were married you had to bring your husband. The committee would decide if you should have access to abortion. In some hospitals the committee did nothing but exist. It never approved one abortion.
Depending on your geographical location, it was almost impossible for some women to have access to a safe abortion before 1990. And in some provinces like PEI, there were no services and women typically had to travel to Moncton, NB to be able to obtain a legal abortion. This makes abortions especially hard to obtain for the young and the poor. Still today access is restricted by geographic location. Those in remote communities have to travel far to have access to safe abortions.
When I had an abortion in 1987 - I had to have an illegal one. I was lucky that Montreal had a Morgentaler clinic, near Metro Honore Beaugrand. It cost me $350 and the visit took one hour. No one shamed me, Dr Morgentaler had amazing bedside manner and made patients feel comfortable, with this procedure no one wants to have. If I'd lived in a small village in Northern Quebec, would I even had been aware of the Morgantaler clinic? Would anyone have told me? Or would I have been shamed in carrying an unwanted pregnancy?
While it was REALLY difficult to have the abortion and I had very little time to think once I realized I was pregnant [I was at least 10 weeks when I took pregnancy test - which back then you took your morning urine to a pharmacy and they called back 2 days later] I know by the time I had abortion I was close to cutoff date for first trimester abortions. I was one of those women who's cycle varied from 14 days to 42 days. I'm also a woman who used birth control and still got pregnant.
Women's reproductive rights should belong to women/afab. Being able to decide to terminate a pregnancy should be a right every woman/afab person has. Women from my grandmother's generation have died or bleed so much during childbirth, they had brain damage. Both my mom and grandma were told not to have any more children by their family doctor, as the next one would probably end their life. Having me nearly killed my mom and made her health poor until I was six. My grandma was scolded often by the parish priest for only having 3 children in the Catholic Quebec of 1930's.
Women pay a HIGH PRICE to carry children they DO want. They should not have to choose between their life and carrying an unwanted child or an unhealthy child or a stillborn one. They should never be retaken into a police station and interrogated or jailed EVER for miscarrying or safely terminating their pregnancy. One in three women have at least one miscarriage in their life time. It's traumatic enough to go through without others trying to decide if you should be labelled a killer never mind facing legal consequences. No woman should ever have to justify why she terminated a pregnancy or lost a baby. The emotional scars stay with us for life just from the events itself.
Note, I use the term woman, but please know this rant includes anyone who physically can be pregnant no matter what label you use or how you identify, I am thinking about your rights too.
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