Well I’ll Go To The Foot Of My Stairs…

…ever heard of him? I don’t expect you have - unless you live in Canada - but this man has been a fearless promoter of women’s right to our bodily autonomy and reproductive choice. He’s an iconic figure in Canada. He’s been jailed for having the courage of his convictions. In 1967 he presented a brief to the House of Commons health and welfare committee in which he urged that Canada’s restrictive abortion law be repealed. In 1968 he performed his first abortion and then, in 1969, he defied the law by opening a private abortion clinic. In 1970, he was arrested and acquitted, but the acquittal was overturned and he served 10 months of an 18-month sentence in prison.

So that women had the right to safe, legal abortion.

In 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down Canada’s abortion law, ruling that Parliament had a legitimate interest in protecting human fetuses but that “the existing prohibition on abortion was disproportionate in its means and failed to protect women’s right to security of the person”.

This man deserves an award, wouldn’t you agree? He’s been nominated three times for the Order of Canada award. First in the early 1990’s by the Humanist Association of Canada, then in 2002 by Marilyn Wilson, president of the Canadian Abortion Rights Action League and again in 2005 by the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics whose nomination was written by John Irving. Each nomination has been unsuccessful because the Chancellery “does not want to be seen as taking sides in the abortion debate”.

Andrea Mrozek, founding director of ProWomanProLife (draw your own conclusions from the title of that organisation) says “Yes, he is a public figure, but this honour should be reserved for people who make a positive contribution. It would create a terrible precedent if a controversial figure who has done women irreparable harm gains a place in the hall of honour.”

Personally, I believe safe, legal abortion to be a totally positive contribution to women’s lives and I have no idea where she gets the notion of “irreparable harm” to women, do you?

Interestingly, “while it inflames passions, Dr. Morgentaler’s case is not unique. In fact, it is similar to that of Dr. Elizabeth Bagshaw, who founded Canada’s first family-planning clinic in 1932 in Hamilton. Denounced as a heretic for her promotion of birth control (which was illegal in Canada until 1969), she was one of the first nominees for the Order of Canada and was rejected several times. Dr. Bagshaw was finally invested in 1972 at the age of 90.”

Birth control was illegal in Canada until 1969?!

Dr Morgentaler is now 84.

Do you detect a theme here? Something like ‘put it off as long as you can in the hope that they’ll die’?

Vote ‘yes’ (repeatedly) - Dr Morgentaler Should bloody be awarded the Order of Canada - if only to show the world that women’s reproductive right do matter.

The people who decide these things need our guidance because even Neil Young with his huge back catalogue of consistent excellence has never been invested into the Order of Canada, but Bobby Gimby, whose one hit was the Expo-era Ca-na-da, is among the illustrious honorees.

It only requires a couple of clicks to make your views known - Canadian or not.

Source: an online sister and here