Unsafe abortions still claim the lives of tens of thousands of women each year around the world and will nonetheless be sought by women who are denied their right to choose. Access to contraception and safe abortion lowers abortion rates. Restrictive laws only result in women dying or suffering severe harm and sometimes imprisonment in many places around the globe. Recently, the Government of BC announced universal no-cost coverage for Mifegymiso, an alternative to surgical abortion.
It is used to terminate pregnancies at an early stage of up to nine weeks. Unlike other countries, women in Canada who are prescribed Mifegymiso are not required to be observed by a doctor while taking it, which is respectful of their dignity, privacy and confidentiality.
Globally, Canada is seen as a leader because abortion is a fundamental part of the health care system and not dependent on a law whereby others decide whether or not a woman is permitted to make a decision about her own health. Now, with Mifegymiso, women can choose if, when and where to have an abortion.
Barriers of access have been removed. Morgentaler would be pleased. He died in Toronto on 29 May of heart failure. Around the time of his death, there was considerable pressure from social conservatives and pro-life advocates to re-open the abortion debate in Canada.
While some praised Morgentaler as a hero, others condemned him as a murderer. In the past, threats were made against his life, and his Toronto clinic was firebombed in In , the University of Western Ontario awarded Morgentaler with an honorary degree, which was protested by many, including the 12, who signed a petition demanding the university reverse its decision.
Search The Canadian Encyclopedia. Remember me. I forgot my password. Why sign up? Create Account. Suggest an Edit. Enter your suggested edit s to this article in the form field below. Accessed 12 November In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Article published July 11, ; Last Edited December 16, The Canadian Encyclopedia , s. Thank you for your submission Our team will be reviewing your submission and get back to you with any further questions. In , Morgentaler became a Canadian citizen, which allowed him to work as a physician in the country.
In , his second child, Abraham, was born. Morgentaler began to focus on family planning in his medical practice, and supplied couples with birth control pills. He also performed surgical procedures on men, such as vasectomies, which aim to produce sterility. Throughout the early years of his private practice, women approached Morgentaler to perform abortions, but he refused and abided by the law. The first Canadian criminal code of had instituted a complete ban on abortion that was still upheld in the s.
In the brief, Morgentaler argued that women should have the ability to safely terminate unplanned pregnancies. After that presentation, many women came to his clinic demanding information with regard to abortions. However, Canadian legislation still restricted abortions.
During that same year, Canada's justice minister Pierre Trudeau introduced the Criminal Law Amendment Act, which partially decriminalized abortions under extenuating circumstances, and the Parliament ratified the bill in by which time Trudeau became prime minister of Canada.
The law stated that only public hospital physicians could perform abortions under the stipulation that a three-physician panel determined that the women's life was in peril if she gave birth. Morgentaler said that the law did not grant sufficient rights to women because the committees seldom met and most hospitals still refused to provide abortions.
Morgentaler began to perform abortions covertly, without any approval of the three person committees, and established his own abortion clinic in in Montreal.
At his clinic, Morgentaler charged his patients a meager fee to ensure that the women did not endanger themselves and seek other more affordable illicit abortions. On 1 June , the police raided the clinic and arrested Morgentaler and his staff for charges of performing illegal abortions. Immediately after his arrest, he posted bail and continued performing abortions at his clinic, and continued to promote his clinic publicly.
A court later determined that there was improper use of a search warrant and dismissed Morgentaler of the charges. By , Morgentaler reported that he completed approximately 5, successful abortions. On 15 Aug , the police returned to his clinic and arrested him once more for multiple counts of illegal abortions. In October , Morgentaler's first trial commenced, and his defense team contended that Morgentaler observed his duty to protect the lives of his patients, and this duty, according to his legal team, carried more significance than the law restricting abortion.
On 13 Nov , the jury concurred with the defense team and acquitted Morgentaler of all charges. That ruling generated a tremendous amount of controversy and outrage in Canada. While serving his sentence, Morgentaler experienced more charges of illegal abortions, although the jury acquitted him once more. During his imprisonment, he experienced a mild heart attack, after which he transferred into a different hospital. Shortly after that incident, the Canadian Parliament introduced an amendment, commonly referred to as the Morgentaler Amendment, which disallowed appeal courts to reverse acquittal decisions from juries.
Due to this ratification, Morgentaler was released from confinement eight months early, but the police charged the physician once more for performing illegal abortions in January Once more, the jury acquitted him all of charges. Shortly after this third acquittal, the Parti Quebecois, a separatist, political party, was elected to office.
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