Why Alabama’s ruling that embryos are children could fuel anti-abortion movement in Canada

Decision also 'chilling' for people seeking IVF, says Canada Research Chair

Natalie Stechyson · CBC News
Feb 22, 2024

A decision by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law has some reproductive rights advocates and fertility law experts in Canada concerned about a potential ripple effect.

The worry isn't necessarily that a decision like the one in Alabama, that was issued in wrongful death cases brought by couples who had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident, could happen here, experts say.

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/alabama-court-embryos-1.7121293

Canada – Mysterious robocall survey polling Albertans on parental consent for abortions

Mark Villani and Brendan Ellis, CTV News
Feb. 2, 2024

A mysterious phone survey is making the rounds in Alberta, asking residents if minors should need parental consent to get an abortion -- but it's not clear who initiated the campaign. Many Albertans started receiving the call on Thursday night.

"Minors do not, however, require the consent of their parents to get an abortion in Alberta, nor is it required for parents to even be notified about their minor child's abortion," part of the pre-recorded message said.

Continued: https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/mysterious-robocall-survey-polling-albertans-on-parental-consent-for-abortions-1.6754063

Canada – Decriminalizing Abortion: A Journey Towards Access and Equity

Dec 6, 2023
Written by Clare Szalay Timbo, Executive Director at The SexEd Justice Project, and Andrea Rodriguez, Policy and Advocacy Officer at Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

In 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the country’s abortion law as unconstitutional, asserting that it violated women’s Charter rights to the security of the person. Since then, abortion has been removed from the Criminal Code and is treated and regulated as a medical procedure. Canada stands out globally as one of only a few countries without specific legal restrictions on abortion.

The full decriminalization of abortion is a critical step towards recognition that abortion is a fundamental human right and ensuring universal access to abortion care. Importantly, decriminalizing abortion preserves legal protections for harms against pregnant people, such as forced abortions or other types of physical harm.

Continued: https://www.actioncanadashr.org/news/2023-12-06-decriminalizing-abortion-journey-towards-access-and-equity

06.12.2023

Commentary

Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

Andrea Rodriguez

Canada Health Act

Clare Szalay Timbo

decriminalization of abortion

NAF Canada

SexEd Justice Project

Supreme Court of Canada

Canada – How pro-life bias is limiting reproductive healthcare access in rural Ontario

Right-to-life groups are increasing stigma and barriers to preventing and eliminating pregnancies

By Mary Baxter
August 2, 2023

After the condom broke, Amanda’s* boyfriend hurried to the drugstore to get the morning-after pill. Anxiety eddied as Amanda waited for him to return. The teenage couple had experienced pregnancy scares before but had never resorted to emergency contraception. A baby couldn’t be in the picture yet, Amanda knew.

In 2018, Amanda was 19 years old. The teen from Chatham-Kent, a rural municipality in southwestern Ontario, had dropped out of high school in Grade 11. They struggled with mental health and lived with their parents. They were unemployed. Their boyfriend, the same age, hit them.

Continued: https://broadview.org/abortion-access-rural/

02.08.2023

Commentary

Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada

abortion stigma

access to abortion

Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

anti-choice bias

anti-choice deception

anti-choice lies

anti-choice misinformation

anti-choice stigma

April Rietdyk

B.J. Kivell

British Columbia Humanist Association

Carolyn Martin

Chatham-Kent Public Health

Christine Button

emergency contraception

Frédérique Chabot

Jen Belcher

Joyce Arthur

Lambton Public Health

Ontario Medical Association

Ontario Pharmacists Association

Refuge CPC

Right to Life Kent

sexual and reproductive health services

Sheila dunn

Shore Centre

TK Pritchard

Women’s College Hospital

Canada – Her obituary requested donations to an abortion clinic. It’s a final political act for some

Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, a number of people have made donations to the pro-choice movement in Canada

Natalie Stechyson · CBC News
Posted: Jul 18, 2023

At first glance, Kathleen Dyer's obituary might seem like any other.

Beneath the photo of a smiling, older woman, we learn the basics: Dyer, who was living in Halifax, died on June 14 at age 84. She is survived by her husband, her son and his wife, and two sisters-in-law. But it's the third and final line that stands out: In lieu of flowers, Dyer asked for donations to the Nova Scotia Women's Choice Clinic.

The clinic, which performs medical and surgical abortions, doesn't know Dyer, except that she had once sent them a donation. And Dyer, who dedicated her life to supporting her husband and raising her children, wasn't a known abortion advocate.

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/abortion-donations-canada-1.6909124

18.07.2023

News

Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada

Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

Naral Pro-Choice America

National Abortion Federation

Nova Scotia Women's Choice Clinic

Roe v. Wade

Canada

Activism

A year after Roe fell, where does anti-abortion rhetoric stand in Canada?

Sean Previl, Global News
June 24, 2023

Advocates for safe abortion access and reproductive health are warning that one year after the fall of Roe v. Wade, similar anti-abortion and anti-rights rhetoric is bubbling up in Canada.

And they say more needs to be done to not only educate people on the resources and services out there, but to continue efforts to protect essential health care like abortion, access to birth control and other aspects of sexual and reproductive health.

Continued: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/other/a-year-after-roe-fell-where-does-anti-abortion-rhetoric-stand-in-canada/ar-AA1cYh4l

Canada – Shaping the narrative on abortion rights and access

May 23, 2023
WRITTEN BY Christina Palassio (interview with Frédérique Chabot)

While access to abortion is protected in Canada, not everyone who needs an abortion can get one, and public opinion has been affected by ideological shifts in Canada and abroad. Frédérique Chabot, director of domestic health promotion at Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights, talks about policy goals, framing the case for increasing access, and the need to dispel harmful narratives.

The global abortion-rights landscape has shifted significantly over the past decade. Predominantly Catholic countries like Ireland, South Korea, and Argentina that historically opposed abortion have legalized access, driven by sustained public movements like #HomeToVote and the Green Wave. In the U.S., meanwhile, evangelical and alt-right movements have succeeded in dismantling protections for abortion and are feeding a backlash against sexual and reproductive health services, including abortion and gender-affirming care.

Continued: https://thephilanthropist.ca/2023/05/shaping-the-narrative-on-abortion-rights-and-access/

23.05.2023

Interviews/Podcasts

Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

Chrystia Freeland

enshrining abortion rights into law

Frédérique Chabot

Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund

Canada

Activism

Human Rights

Justin Trudeau on U.S. abortion debate: ‘When do we get to stop having to relitigate?’

On a New York stage to champion women’s rights, the prime minister faced questions on Canada’s performance.

By JOSEPH GEDEON
04/27/2023

NEW YORK — As Congress and courts threaten to roll back abortion rights, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used the stage at the Global Citizen summit to declare his unequivocal support for doing the opposite.

“When do we get to stop having to relitigate this?” the prime minister asked Thursday in New York. “Women are still having to stand up for basic rights that should have been and have been recognized long ago.”

Continued: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/27/trudeau-abortion-pill-canada-00094342

How the latest U.S. abortion pill attacks may have ripple effects in Canada

By Saba Aziz, Global News
April 23, 2023

The escalation of attacks on access to abortion in the United States since the fall of Roe v. Wade last year should “spur” Canada to get its own house in order to provide safe and stable access, experts warn.

In a high-stakes case on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an attempt by a lower court to restrict access to mifepristone, one of the two drugs used in the abortion pill. While the move preserves access to the drug that is used in more than half of all abortions in the U.S., the case has put the spotlight on the next chapter of attacks on access to abortion in that country.

Continued: https://globalnews.ca/news/9641627/us-abortion-pill-mifepristone-canada-impact/

23.04.2023

News

Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

Canadians Pharmacists Association

Nearly 40 per cent of Canadian abortions rely on pill that is at centre of U.S. legal battle

'We don’t want people believing that what they’re hearing in the United Sates is the case here,' says UBC researcher

Sharon Kirkey
Published Apr 15, 2023

Doctors in Canada fear the extraordinary legal battles over abortion pills unfolding in the U.S. could shake confidence in the safety of medical abortions here.

The country’s largest pro-life organization hopes the court rulings do just that, and lead to more “kitchen-table” conversations about a drug it considers a “human poison.”

Continued: https://nationalpost.com/news/nearly-40-per-cent-of-canadian-abortions-rely-on-pill-at-centre-of-legal-battle