On May 2, a leaked document revealed that the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that affirmed pregnant people have a constitutionally protected right to access abortion without government interference. This decision will have disastrous effects for people who need abortions in the States, effectively eliminating access to this health care procedure in many parts of the country.
As Americans brace for a rollback of reproductive rights, many Canadians are worrying that the same thing could happen here. How secure is access to abortion in Canada"
What?s the legal status of abortion in Canada"
As in the U.S., abortion rights in Canada largely stem from a particular Supreme Court case: R. v. Morgentaler. Prior to this 1988 ruling, Canadians seeking an abortion were required to ask for approval from a therapeutic abortion committee, made up of three doctors. Only if those doctors decided the abortion was medically necessary would an abortion be granted. Dr. Henry Morgentaler, a reproductive rights advocate who operated abortion clinics in Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg, challenged this law and won: In a 5-2 decision, the Canadian Supreme Court ruled that therapeutic abortion committees were unconstitutional. According to Margot Young, a professor of law at the University of British Columbia and an expert in constitutional law, this ruling is an important distinction. ?The Supreme Court of Canada didn?t find that there was a rig...