Canada allows for legal abortions, thanks to Dr. Henry Morgentaler, who yesterday received the Order of Canada. He was instrumental in the fight against the abortion provision in the Criminal Code of Canada; the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that said provision was unconstitutional, as it violated a woman's right under section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to "security of person." Morgantaler served time in prison for his trouble but was eventually acquitted. That he received the Order of Canada has of course enraged anti-abortion groups, and has deeply annoyed some pundits.
posted by illiad on Jul 2, 2008 - 120 comments

After decades of advocacy for Canadian women's right to choose (including opening several abortion clinics decades before they were legal, and spending 10 months in jail for having performed an abortion, and his case was the groundbreaking 1988 Supreme Court decsion that threw out all the criminal law related to abortion in Canada) prominent Canadian abortion activist Dr. Henry Morgentaler recieved an honourary degree this week from the University of Western Ontario. In his own words.
posted by raedyn on Jun 17, 2005 - 16 comments