While much of Canada was waving the red and white yesterday, there were a few who could only see red when they learned that Canada’s divisive father of abortion, Henry Morgentaler, had been awarded the prestigious Order of Canada. Morgentaler, a man made famous by his tireless efforts to give women the physical and legal rights to their reproductive health, is facing an avalanche of criticism from pro-life activists, Conservative MPs, and church leaders who view his controversial work on abortion as an affront to Canadians. After opening his first then-illegal abortion clinic in 1969, Morgentaler evaded numerous attempts on his life, including a firebombing of his Toronto clinic in 1992, all in the name of fighting an abortion law that he saw as unconstitutional. For a man who single-handedly took on the Supreme Court of Canada and risked his life performing thousands of illegal surgeries on women, it is undeniable that his work cannot go unrecognized by the Canadian government and legal system. The media, however, cannot pass up the opportunity to lay their teeth into a story that threatens to rip open the decades-long debate on abortion anew. The Archbishop of Toronto has already come forward, saying that Canada’s “highest honour has been debased,” while groups such as the Campaign Life Coalition and Life Canada are up in arms over an appointment that they see as a disgrace and feel will shed a bad light on other recipients of the award, which this year include such people as Canadian Auto Workers Union President Buzz Hargrove and musician Randy Bachman.
Not surprisingly, the Conservative government has been distancing itself as much as possible from the appointment, going as far as handing out speaking notes to its MPs, saying that the decision was made by an arm’s-length body. But the Globe is gleeful in reporting how one of the Conservative MPs, Art Hangar, stepped out of line publicly and said that Morgentaler is “not deserving of the award.” The issue barely hit the radar screen in Quebec, where the story was buried deep in the pages of La Presse. Meanwhile, the commentary seemed to be off the charts in the Post, a paper known for its conservative, pro-life views. Three editorials were dedicated to the issue in the Post, one which tepidly condemned his award but emphasized that Morgentaler cannot be blamed for the “inhumane state of abortion law in Canada,” another that pointed out that Canada currently is the only country in the world without any abortion law and a last, which shamelessly blasted the award, calling it a “symbol of moral decay” and calling abortion an evil to be fled from. The Post also couldn’t help but dedicate an entire article outlining exactly how the selection process for the Order of Canada favours those of the political left. The Citizen starts off its story today by asserting that the Morgentaler appointment “has reignited the abortion debate that raged across the country in the 1970s and 1980s.” But it remains to be seen whether Canadians are willing to wade into those waters once again.
Wednesday 02 July 2008 Abortion pioneer receives honour
Dr. Henry Morgentaler was named a member of the Order of Canada yesterday, an appointment that quickly...
Monday 21 April 2008
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ABORTION DEBATE REDUX
The Star’s Chantal Hébert flags the possibility of a debate on abortion rights bubbling to the surface in an already fractious parliament. Last month, the House gave second reading to a private member’s bill that would make it an offence to kill or injure an unborn child in the course of committing an offence against the mother. Tory MP Ken Epp, who wrote the legislation, says it’s meant to compensate expectant mothers for the grievous loss of their child. But it would also open the door for anti-abortion lobbyists to mount challenges to Canada’s abortion laws by arguing that the law grants a fetus distinct legal status. They made this argument two decades ago, only to be rebuffed by the Supreme Court, who used existing federal law to justify its decision. The new bill would complicate any future judgments. It would also complicate the present political situation, stoking fears Prime Minister Stephen Harper has an anti-abortion agenda, and hindering his chances of grabbing a majority government in the next election. It will also put pressure on Liberal leader Stéphane Dion to shore up opposition to the bill. With two dozen Liberal MPs voting in favour of the bill the last time around, Dion says he’s confident that enough MPs will reverse themselves at the third reading. But the division in the ranks, says Hébert, will hamper the Liberals’ image as defenders of women’s rights.
Josh Ginsberg is a Montreal-based MediaScout writer for Maisonneuve Magazine.
Saturday 19 April 2008 Purpose of Bill C-484 (Unborn Victims of Crime Act), is to amend the Criminal Code so that charges can be laid in all cases causing the death of an unborn child. This could, implicitly, give legal standing to the fetus, which has none under the current legislation. Such status would mean that the murder of a pregnant woman could, for example, carry a double term of imprisonment.
C-484, a Private Member’s Bill was tabled in the House of Commons by Conservative Ken Epp, on November 21, 2007, may bring Canada back several decades and reopen a debate that was ended 20 years ago.
Monday 14 April 2008 Democrat rivals defend abortion
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama say they back abortion rights and profess their Christianity at a faith forum.
Thursday 31 January 2008 Tainted Drugs Tied to Maker of Abortion Pill
BEIJING — A huge state-owned Chinese pharmaceutical company that exports to dozens of countries, including the United States, is at the center of a nationwide drug scandal after nearly 200 Chinese cancer patients were paralyzed or otherwise harmed last summer by contaminated leukemia drugs.
Chinese drug regulators have accused the manufacturer of the tainted drugs of a cover-up and have closed the factory that produced them. In December, China’s Food and Drug Administration said that the Shanghai police had begun a criminal investigation and that two officials, including the head of the plant, had been detained.
The drug maker, Shanghai Hualian, is the sole supplier to the United States of the abortion pill, mifepristone, known as RU-486. It is made at a factory different from the one that produced the tainted cancer drugs, about an hour’s drive away.
Tuesday 29 January 2008 OTTAWA: LEGAL ABORTION LAW MARKS TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY
Supporters of legalized abortion on Monday marked the twentieth anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling to make abortions legal. The landmark decision followed a widely publicized case involving the noted Canadian abortionist, Dr. Henry Morgentaler. He had campaigned for years to legalize abortions in an era when speaking of abortions and contraception was largely taboo. He reasoned that it was more civilized to permit abortions performed by competent doctors than to force women to put their lives at risk in the hands of untrained practitioners. Dr. Morgentaler opened controversial abortion clinics in Toronto, in Montreal and in other cities across the country where he trained doctors to perform abortions. Anti-abortion activists called the day of the Supreme Court's ruling, 'Black Thursday.' One anti-abortion group, Campaign Life Coalition, is vowing to continue fighting until abortions are again ruled illegal.
Tuesday Jan 29, 2008 Abortion rights 'not set in stone'
Two Quebec groups that promote women's rights hailed the 20th anniversary of the decriminalization of...
Monday Jan 28, 2008 Advocates acclaim ruling
Legalized in 1988. Women's suffering touched Morgentaler
...Twenty years ago today, the Supreme Court of Canada overturned the country's abortion law and affirmed a woman's right to end her pregnancy.
...Polling data in recent years indicate most Canadians support women's right to abortion, though the issue continues to stir controversy. ....Safe, legal abortions are available in most parts of Canada. There are about 330,000 live births and 100,000 abortions annually in this country. ...Abortions now are provided free in hospitals, community health clinics and private medical clinics in Quebec,
'It was a great achievement'
Canadian women are safe from death or injury from back-alley abortions because a Montreal doctor stubbornly...
Voices: a time of secrecy and fear
Martine: When I was 22 and just graduated I became pregnant. In 1967, abortion was illegal. I couldn...
Abortion attitudes undergo a sea change
1869 - The Parliament of Canada enacts a law prohibiting abortion. Punishment ranges from two years ...
Thursday 17 May 2007
Morgentaler suing N.B.
The government of New Brunswick was in court Wednesday to try to stop a lawsuit by renowned abortion doctor Henry Morgentaler.
Thursday May 17, 2007 Teen pregnancies at all-time low
The rate of teen pregnancies in Canada has hit an all-time low and has fallen more dramatically than the US...
The falling teen pregnancy rate has been accompanied by a corresponding decrease in the rate of abortions, especially since 1994.
...The decline comes despite studies showing the average age at which Canadian teens have their a first sexual encounter is steady at 16.5 years old for boys and girls. But Statistics Canada data from 2005 suggests 12 per cent of boys and 13 per cent of girls have sex earlier - by age 14 or 15.
Sunday 13 May 2007 Today’s Face of Abortion in China Is a Young, Unmarried Woman
QINGDAO, China — At an abortion clinic in this seaside city, a young woman sat in the recovery room with an IV drip in one hand and a cellphone in the other. She was 22 and worked as a nurse. Her boyfriend, an information technology specialist, sat nearby. They both knew the routine: It was her second abortion in 18 months.
10 May 2007 China imposes record fine for breaching one-child rule
BEIJING — Family planning mandarins in central China have slapped a record fine of 600,000 yuan (about $87,000) on a private entrepreneur for flouting the world's most populous nation's strict “one child” policy.
...China launched the one-child policy in 1980 to curb its population, now over 1.3 billion. Anhui's population stood at 65.16 million as of Aug. 24 last year, the eighth-largest among China's 31 provinces, regions and municipalities.
Friday 27 April 2007 Reflections on the New Abortion Ruling and the Roberts Court
When justices play doctor, watch out for women’s health.
Friday 20 April 2007 New Push Likely for Restrictions Over Abortions
Legislation limiting abortions could face headwinds in states where Democrats made gains in the last election.
18 April 2007 Justices Back Ban on Method of Abortion | mp3 Audio
Thur 19 Apr nytimes.com/podcasts/ Sup court upheld ban!
Saturday 11 November 2006 The Court and Abortion
The Supreme Court unnecessarily returned to the politically charged area of abortion this week, hearing arguments in a case testing some of the core principles of Roe v. Wade.
Justices Hear Arguments on Late-Term Abortion
By LINDA GREENHOUSE
The two hours of arguments before the Supreme Court on late-term abortion focused on medical details instead of Constitutional concepts like the right to privacy.
Monday 30 October 2006 Nicaragua Bans Abortion
If Nicaraguans want to see the possible consequences of their new law, they can look next door to El Salvador, where all abortions have been banned since 1998.
Friday May 12, 2006 Scientists Will Gather to Discuss Safety of Abortion Pill The first meeting in 10 years on the safety of the abortion pill RU-486 comes after a bacterial infection led to the deaths of at least five women who took it.
Saturday Apr 22, 2006 nyt Kiss-and-Tell No More A federal judge in Kansas has dealt another blow to the crusade by the state's attorney general, Phill Kline, to restrict abortions under the phony banner of combating child abuse.
Saturday Mar 18, 2006 nyt After 2 More Deaths, Planned Parenthood Alters Method for Abortion Pill< By GARDINER HARRIS
The change partly resolves a dispute between the group and the F.D.A. over the safest way to provide pill-based abortions.
Tuesday Mar 14, 2006 Abortion showdown looms in U.S.
Accused for years of crying wolf, American pro-choice advocates have just seen their worst fears come true. Lynda Hurst reports.
Thursday Feb 23, 2006 nyt Ban on Most Abortions Advances in South Dakota Abortion rights advocates braced to make an immediate challenge to the first effort by a state in 14 years to attack Roe v. Wade.
Tuesday Jan 24, 2006 nyt Three Decades After Roe, a War We Can All Support
By WILLIAM SALETAN
It's time for the abortion-rights movement to declare war on abortion. On Jan. 22, 1973, in its Roe vs. Wade decision, the Supreme Court legalized abortions, using a trimester approach. (Go to article.)
Tuesday Jan 24, 2006 nyt My Father's Abortion War
By EYAL PRESS
When the abortion provider Dr. Barnett Slepian was murdered outside of Buffalo, one of his colleagues decided to keep his own nearby space open. How America's most polarizing conflict came to my family's doorstep.
Monday Jan 16, 2006 nyt Some Abortion Foes Forgo Politics for Quiet Talk
By JOHN LELAND
A Kentucky Bible study for women coping after abortions represents a less-visible but wide aspect of the anti-abortion movement.
Monday Jan 9, 2006 maisonneuve.org/
HIGH TECH PREJUDICE
The
Globe, the
Post and the
Citizen all front reports on a new Canadian study that says parents in
India are aborting half a million female fetuses every year. The
Globe’s André Picard calls it “a striking example of modern
technology facilitating age-old prejudices.” The new findings are
not necessarily shocking; traditional Indian views on the role of women
are well-known, and other reports have warned about falling female birth
rates in India. But the details of the trend have not been known until
now, partly because of “spotty” Indian health data, Picard
writes. And there are some fairly surprising details. The Post and the
Citizen put this initially counter-intuitive result front and centre:
“the more education a woman has, the less likely she it to give
birth to a girl.” The Canwest articles go on to explain that these
findings put to rest speculations that India’s shifting sex ratios
have been caused by “some kind of unusual hormonal factor or other
cause, such as maternal smoking or infections.” The report’s
authors are unequivocal that abortion is the “only plausible
explanation.” Sex selection is officially illegal in India, but
those laws have clearly done little to stop determined parents.
Tuesday Jan 10, 2006 A new Canadian-led study shows that selective abortions caused the death of up to 10 million female fetuses in India over the past 20 years. The study was led by Dr. Prabhat Jha of the Centre for Global Health Research at Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital. It found that fewer daughters were born to couples who have not yet had a boy. The researchers found the deficit in the number of girls born as second children was more than twice as great among educated mothers than among illiterate ones. Dr Jah added that the estimated numbers are on the conservative side. The study was published in Britain's leading medical journal, the Lancet.
2005
Sunday Dec 4, 2005 nyt Judge Alito and Abortion
The Senate needs to look through the cloud of explanations and excuses and examine where Judge Samuel Alito Jr. really stands on abortion rights.
Sunday Dec 4, 2005 nyt Push to Loosen Abortion Laws in Latin America
By JUAN FORERO
Women's rights groups are mounting challenges in courts to liberalize laws that ban abortion under any circumstances.
Tuesday Sep 20, 2005 nyt Under Din of Abortion Debate, an Experience Shared Quietly
By JOHN LELAND
While public conversation about abortion is dominated by advocates with all-or-nothing positions, most Americans weigh values that are often in conflict.
Ambition: Why Some People Are Most Likely To Succeed
A fire in the belly doesn't light itself. Does the spark of ambition lie in genes, family, culture--or even in your own hands? Science has answers
You don't get as successful as Gregg and Drew Shipp by accident. Shake hands with the 36-year-old fraternal twins who co-own the sprawling Hi Fi Personal Fitness club in Chicago, and it's clear you're in the presence of people who thrive on their drive. But that wasn't always the case. The twins' father founded the Jovan perfume company, a glamorous business that spun off the kinds of glamorous profits that made it possible for the Shipps to amble through high school, coast into college and never much worry about getting the rent paid or keeping the fridge filled. But before they graduated, their sense of...
Friday Aug 26, 2005 ts Article on fetal pain sparks outcry
CHICAGO—The editor of a medical journal that published an article this week saying fetuses likely don't feel pain until late in pregnancy said yesterday she has received dozens of angry emails from abortion opponents.
Monday Aug 1, 2005 rci The Canadian abortion rights activist, Doctor Henry Morgentaler, is receiving a special award for his efforts on behalf of women's rights and reproductive health issues. He has been named the recipient of the 2005 Couchiching Award for Public Policy Leadership. The award is presented to a nationally recognized Canadian who has demonstrated leadership in a public policy field whose initiatives have had a positive impact on Canada or a community within Canada. Those initiatives, as in Doctor Morganetaler's case, are often in the face of public opposition. The award will be presented on August 5th during the 74th annual Couchiching Conference in Orillia, Ontario
Saturday Jun 18, 2005 rci LONDON: ABORTION DOCTOR IS HONOURED
The University of Western Ontario has bestowed on Dr. Henry Mongenaler, Canada's leading crusader in favour of women's right to abortion, the honour of doctor of laws. Dr. Morgentaler established abortion clinics in several Canadian cities, including Montreal. He served 10 months in prison before the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the existing anti-abortion law. Four-hundred graduates of the university gave him two ovations during the ceremony, as several hundred protesters demonstrated outside.
Monday May 16, 2005 ts 250 protest university plan to honour Morgentaler
LONDON, Ont.—About 250 anti-abortion activists picketed the home of University of Western Ontario President Paul Davenport yesterday over plans to award an honorary degree to abortion crusader Dr. Henry Morgentaler. Call abortion crusader a mass killer
Western says it stands behind decision
Tuesday Feb 1, 2005 ts Abortion anxiety mounts in U.S.
Bush, Hillary Clinton urge `common ground' on women's choice
Supreme Court shift could put Roe v. Wade decision in jeopardy
Last Sunday, two Americans, politically poles apart, used the same rarely heard phrase while speaking on the same polarizing subject — women`s right to abortion.
Sunday Oct 24, 2004 nyt
Negotiators Add Abortion Clause to Spending Bill
Saturday, Nov. 20 - House and Senate negotiators have tucked a potentially far-reaching anti-abortion provision into a $388 billion must-pass spending bill, complicating plans for Congress to wrap up its business and adjourn for the year.
... The abortion language would bar federal, state and local agencies from withholding taxpayer money from health care providers that refuse to provide or pay for abortions or refuse to offer abortion counseling or referrals. Current federal law, aimed at protecting Roman Catholic doctors, provides such "conscience protection'' to doctors who do not want to undergo abortion training. The new language would expand that protection to all health care providers, including hospitals, doctors, clinics and insurers.
... Some lawmakers and Congressional aides interpreted the House leaders' insistence as reflection of the new political strength of the anti-abortion movement and of Christian conservatives, who played an important role in re-electing Mr. Bush this month.
Saturday 12 Jun 2004 cbc
BQ WOULD DEFEAT TORY MINORITY OVER ABORTION
Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Québécois, the only major party
leader to take part in substantial public activities on Saturday, said
his party would bring down a minority Conservative government if it
tried to abolish the right of Canadian women to have an abortion.
Thursday Jun 10, 2004 cbc
LIBERAL WOMEN JOIN TO DENOUNCE HARPER ON ABORTION
Current and former Liberal activists for women's rights are mobilizing
against Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, claiming he poses a threat
to their cause.
Monday May 17, 2004 ts
New saint a symbol for foes of abortion
VATICAN CITY—Pope John Paul named six new saints yesterday, including a woman who became a symbol for abortion opponents because she refused to end her pregnancy despite warnings it could kill her.
April 9, 2004 For advice on travel to Spain, see WOMAN WHO REFUSED C-SECTION SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS
A woman initially charged with murder after repeatedly refusing to undergo a caesarean section was sentenced to 18 months for child endangerment.
April 9, 2004
For advice on travel to Spain, see WINNIPEG ABORTION CLINIC GOES NON-PROFIT
A group of women in Winnipeg has purchased the abortion clinic that was
run for more than 20 years by Henry Morgentaler. The group plans to turn
the clinic into a non-profit facility and try to pressure the Manitoba
government into paying for private abortions.
2003
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Abortion test case goes to Europe
A woman whose pregnancy was wrongly terminated goes to the European Court to argue a foetus has the right to life. |
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Sex disease 'changed to survive'
The sex disease syphilis adapted from a severe, debilitating illness to a milder form in order to survive, research suggests. |
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Glaxo responds to Aids drugs call
The British drug giant bows to international pressure and says it will allow the manufacture of cheap generic drug versions in South Africa. |
Tuesday Aug 19, 2003 ts
MORGENTALER TAKES NEW BRUNSWICK TO COURT OVER ACCESS TO ABORTION Abortion provider Dr. Henry Morgentaler is taking the province of New
Brunswick to court. He claims women in New Brunswick are being denied
full access to abortions.
Wednesday Jul 2, 2003 globe
Aborted fetuses used in fertility treatment
Fetal ovarian tissue could relieve shortage of human eggs, Israeli scientists maintain
"I don't think we need to use fetal material," he said at the Madrid meeting. "The only advantage is that there are more eggs."
Wednesday Jul 2, 2003 bbc
Abortion ship makes waves in Poland
The women who disembark from the floating abortion clinic risk being splattered with eggs and red paint by a small but aggressive group of ultra-conservative protesters gathered on the quayside in the Polish port of Wladyslawowo.
But in staunchly Roman Catholic Poland, home to Pope John Paul II and one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, it is a price these women are willing to pay.
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Aborted foetus could provide eggs
An aborted foetus could one day become the mother of a new baby by "donating" her eggs to an infertile woman, say researchers. |
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IVF sex ban lifted
Men have traditionally been told to refrain from having sex before certain types of fertility treatment - but research may change that. |
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Lab-grown eggs safe for IVF
Babies born after their mother's eggs were matured in a laboratory appear to be healthy - despite concerns about safety. |
Opponents call it the 'Death Pill.' Supporters call it the 'moral property of women.' THE ABORTION PILL documents the decade-long battle to bring RU486 to the United States
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Abortion is a contentious issue in the US |
Friday Jun 6, 2003 bbc
US House bans abortion method
The US House of Representatives approves controversial legislation banning partial birth abortions. ... and US President George W Bush is expected to sign the ban into law.
Friday Jun 6, 2003 nyt By ROBIN TONER
The House voted to ban a procedure that abortion foes call partial-birth abortion, moving the restriction closer to passage.
QUOTATION OF THE DAY
Friday Jun 6, 2003 nyt
"We have lived in denial of the violence of abortion for far too long. Today, we can stop some of this violence against children."
REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, Republican of New Jersey, on a bill to ban a type of abortion.
Tuesday Jan 28, 2003 cbc 15 YEARS LATER - CONTROVERSY STILL RAGES OVER ABORTIONS
Fifteen years after the Supreme Court struck down the law restricting
abortions, the debate still rages and many women still find it hard to
get an abortion.
Thursday, November 28, 2002 np 78% favour abortion rights
Support for a woman's right to an abortion has reached an all-time high in Canada, according to a National Post/Global National poll that found almost four of five Canadians, or 78%, believe women should have a completely free choice in the matter.
Wednesday Oct 2, 2002 cbc
MORGENTALER TO SUE PROVINCES FOR NOT FUNDING ABORTIONS
Dr. Henry Morgentaler says he is taking New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to
court to try to force them to pay for abortions at his clinics.
8/Jan/2001 Mr. Rock and private clinics
Will private clinics be the undoing of Canada's publicly funded health-care system? Federal Health Minister Allan Rock seems to have decided they might be and is threatening action against private MRI clinics. Almost as an afterthought, the minister has also said he may withhold funding from provinces that force women to pay all or part of the cost of an abortion in a private clinic.
Before applauding this effort by Mr. Rock to save medicare, it should be remembered that the increase in the number of private clinics is a problem of the federal government's own making. Its abrupt and deep cuts to health funding in 1994 left the provinces unable to make an orderly transition to the new fiscal reality. Some provinces compounded a bad situation by their own bad planning. Quebec's generous and indiscriminate buyout to medical personnel comes to mind. (The federal government announced it would reinvest $21 billion in the health-care system late last year.)
Abortion debate still rages after 25 years Roe v. Wade was to be milestone for U.S. women; in fact, it settled nothing Tuesday, January 20, 1998 By Andrew Cohen (saved)
Go Back | Go Forward
New Push Likely for Restrictions Over Abortions :April 20, 2007 
BBC
Bloomberg