Canadian Doctor and Pro-Choice Activist Receives Highest Award
by Naomi
Web CorrespondentPlanned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund
The decision of Canada's Governor-General to bestow the nation's highest honor upon a prominent pro-choice activist has caused quite a stir among our northern neighbors. Last week head of state Michaelle Jean announced that Henry Morgentaler, a Holocaust survivor, doctor and leader of Canada's pro-choice movement, would receive the Governor-General's Order of Canada. Dr. Morgentaler opened an illegal abortion clinic in Montreal in the late 1960s and served a 10-month prison sentence as a result. After Quebec acquitted him, he continued to successfully challenge abortion laws in other provinces until, in 1988, Canada's Supreme Court overturned laws barring abortion. While many lauded the decision to honor Dr. Morgentaler, members of Canada's Conservative Party (including Prime Minister Stephen Harper) and anti-choice activists were irate:
"Canada's highest honor has been debased," Roman Catholic Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto said in a statement. "We are all diminished"
"It is hard to believe that the Queen's representative and our government can ignore the beliefs of the majority of Canadians by bestowing what was such a prestigious honor on a man who has spent his life denying the most fundamental human right, the right to life for all human beings," said Joanne Byfield, president of LifeCanada, an advocacy group.
Supporters of Dr. Morgentaler argue, however, that the 85-year-old's efforts in Canada have all but eliminated abortion-related deaths and broadened healthcare access for women across the nation. While anti-choice Canadians claim to represent the prevailing public opinion, a recent poll has found that a majority of Canadians believe that "abortion should be legal under any circumstances." In fact, The New York Times reports that the nation is highly progressive in terms of reproductive rights:
"Today, Canada is among the countries with the greatest access to abortion in publicly funded hospitals and clinics."
Maybe it's time that America take a cue from the "True North" and stand up to recognize the efforts of the men and women who broke through the barriers to accessible reproductive healthcare.
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