The decision by the US Supreme Court to repeal constitutional protection for abortion has left some Canadian observers worried about those who will struggle to gain access to services they may need urgently after the ruling.
The decision of the US Supreme Court was announced weeks ago, when it is a draft version leaked to the media.
But the decision triggered so-called trigger laws in at least 13 states, banning or severely restricting access to abortion there.
“I think that really defines the United States as a kind of extraordinary place in the Western world,” said Noreen Golfman, a Canadian academic who helped create the the first abortion clinic in Newfoundland and a Labrador more than three decades ago.
An abortion activist was seen protesting in front of the US Supreme Court building on Friday, the same day the Supreme Court terminated the constitutional abortion defense that had been in place for nearly 50 years. (Jacqueline Martin / Associated Press)
“It’s not just about giving back women’s rights, it’s like sending the whole country back in so many ways.”
In Windsor, Ont Pat Papadeas said the decision would harm marginalized people and take The United States in the wrong direction.
“I’m sad, angry and very desperate,” Papadeas told CBC News near the coast of the border town, which is opposite neighboring Detroit.
The news was just as disappointing for Mohini Data-Ray, CEO of Planned Parenthood Toronto, although it was expected.
“I cried for 45 minutes,” Data-Ray said Friday. “Those of us who work in the reproductive justice movement have obviously seen it coming down the road … but it is still devastating.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called US court ruling “terrifying” tweeting that his heart was focused on “American women who are now ready to lose their legal right to abortion.”
The news coming from the United States is appalling. My heart is with the millions of American women who are now ready to lose their legal right to abortion. I can’t imagine the fear and anger you’re feeling right now.
– @JustinTrudeau
The new leader of the Democrats, Jagmit Singh said in a statement that the US Supreme Court had “ceded women’s rights” and he called for “these dangerous policies … not to be allowed to take root in Canada”.
Conservative MP Leslin Lewis, the current contender for Tory leadership self-described views of “pro-life.”made a distinction between the two countries on Friday, tweeting that “Canada is not the United States” and that he believes Canadians can have “adult talks” about abortion.
WATCH | Impact outside the US?
Could the US Supreme Court’s decision affect the abortion debate in Canada?
Campaign Life Coalition’s Josie Lutke discusses the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Rowe against Wade.
“Shock waves” outside the United States
Abortion has been decriminalized in Canada due to a Supreme Court ruling in 1988. But a bill has never been passed to enshrine access to law, and it is also is not considered a constitutionally protected right according to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Noreen Golfman believes that the decision of the US Supreme Court on abortion rights could have consequences in Canada and around the world. (Henrique Wilhelm / CBC)
Although the U.S. court ruling sends “shock waves” around the world, the legal possibility of abortion in Canada is not in jeopardy, said Joyce Arthur, executive director of the Canadian Coalition for Abortion Rights.
But her organization is concerned about Americans coming north to care for abortion. He called on federal and provincial governments to provide more funding to clinics because, as Arthur says, “even a small number of Americans can overload our system.”
In Regina, Andra Brusard, executive director of the Options Pregnancy Center, said Saskatchewan could see North Dakota residents cross the border to have an abortion.
“I would say it’s definitely possible. Abortion is still something that women will look for. So because we are close, I’m sure women will come here to find him, “Brusard said.
In neighboring Alberta, NDP provincial leader Rachel Notley said events in the United States were a reminder that “basic human rights” should never be taken for granted.
“We always have to fight to protect them,” Notley said in a video shared on Twitter.
An anti-abortion protester was seen wearing a suit taken from the world of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 anti-utopian novel The Maid’s Tale during a demonstration in front of the US Supreme Court on Friday. (Jacqueline Martin / Associated Press)
Add Comment