Ontario promised to overhaul abortion care – but clinics say they’ve been left out

By Jasmine Pazzano, Global News
Published December 7, 2022

Ontario’s abortion care system has been in a state of disrepair for years, and last December, Queen’s Park decided to do something about it, committing to overhaul the way it funds its clinics.

The news came as a relief to people working at some of the province’s imperiled abortion centres. It also came as a surprise. Until a reporter asked them about it, none of the six clinics Global News spoke with knew about the plans.

Continued: https://globalnews.ca/news/9280521/ontario-abortion-overhaul-health-care-clinics/


Canada – Oosterhoff’s extreme anti-choice views should be a ‘bridge too far’ in politics

Joyce Arthur, Rabble.ca
March 25, 2021

Sam Oosterhoff should be expelled from Ontario Premier Doug Ford's caucus because he opposes key human rights.

Oosterhoff is an elected member of provincial parliament (Niagara West), serves in the Ontario Progressive Conservative government as parliamentary assistant for the minister of education, and is vocally "pro-life." You may have heard about his most recent media scandal -- speaking at an anti-choice event even though one of the organizing groups had compared abortion to the Holocaust.

Continued: https://rabble.ca/columnists/2021/03/oosterhoffs-extreme-anti-choice-views-should-be-bridge-too-far-politics


Canada – Niagara MPP Oosterhoff headlining event after organizer compared abortion to Holocaust

Niagara West MPP said in 2019 that he would like to make abortion 'unthinkable'

Christine Rankin · CBC News
Last Updated: March 16, 2021

Ontario MPP Sam Oosterhoff says he still plans to be the featured speaker at an anti-abortion event, despite one of its organizers comparing abortions to the Holocaust, where six million Jewish people were murdered by Nazis.

The event is being hosted on Wednesday by anti-abortion groups, including the University of Ottawa Students for Life, Carleton Life Network and University of Waterloo Students for Life, in collaboration with National Campus Life Network.

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/oosterhoff-anti-abortion-event-1.5950046


War on abortion in the U.S. has gotten absurd

War on abortion in the U.S. has gotten absurd
Anti-abortionists claim to be "pro-life," while defending Donald Trump's attacks on the poor, women, immigrants and those with physical and mental challenges

by Michael Coren
January 24, 2020

Donald Trump attended the March for Life on Friday, January 24. The annual gathering of anti-abortion activists in Washington DC included a generous collection of Canadian supporters.

This is the first time a sitting president has attended in person. That the president’s attendance took place in the middle of Senate impeachment trial proceedings against him has only increased his popularity with the anti-abortion movement.

Continued: https://nowtoronto.com/news/donald-trump-march-for-life-abortion/


Canada – The pro-choice movement will defeat any threats to abortion rights

The pro-choice movement will defeat any threats to abortion rights

Joyce Arthur
August 8, 2019

Canada's pro-choice movement is in good fighting form, and stronger than ever. That's the undeniable conclusion after living through the roller-coaster ride of anti-choice activity over the last three months.

First, we saw the annual March for Life on Ottawa's Parliament Hill on May 9, as well as anti-choice rallies in cities across Canada including Toronto for the first time. Many anti-choice Parliamentarians attended these events and some spoke out, including Ontario MPP Sam Oosterhoff, with his infamous comment, "We pledge to make abortion unthinkable in our lifetime."

Continued: http://rabble.ca/columnists/2019/08/pro-choice-movement-will-defeat-any-threats-abortion-rights


Canada – Restrictions on safe medical abortions don’t help anybody

Restrictions on safe medical abortions don’t help anybody
Pregnant people deserve options to regulate their own bodies

July 8, 2019
This article discusses abortion. The author has chosen to remain anonymous.

Until the day I needed one, I’d never planned to get an abortion in my life. I was 21 when I called the Women’s Clinic at KGH in tears, asking to make an appointment.

That’s the same age that Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff was when he promised to make abortion “unthinkable in our lifetime” at a March for Life rally alongside fellow Conservative MPPs Christina Mitas and Will Bouma. I was horrified when I saw Premier Doug Ford had responded to Oosterhoff’s comments by saying that he embraced a diversity of views within his caucus.

Continued: https://www.queensjournal.ca/story/2019-07-08/postscript/restrictions-on-safe-medical-abortions-dont-help-anybody/


How abortion rights work in Canada — and whether they could be put at risk

How abortion rights work in Canada — and whether they could be put at risk

By Maham Abedi, National Online Journalist, Breaking News Global News
May 24, 2019

Abortion in Canada is unlikely to face the legal threats it is facing in the United States, but experts say there are still ways the right can be undermined.

Several states are facing international criticism over legislation that moved to limit abortions. The new laws will almost definitely be blocked while legal challenges play out. The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Roe v. Wade said a woman has the right to choose whether to have an abortion.

Continued: https://globalnews.ca/news/5310984/abortion-rules-canada/


There’s a backlash against sex education in ‘Feminist Canada’

There’s a backlash against sex education in ‘Feminist Canada’
Canada appears progressive on the world stage. But under pressure from the Christian right, Ontario’s premier scrapped modern sex education.

Nandini Archer
13 February 2019

The recent decision in the Canadian province of Ontario, to scrap its modern sex education curriculum, is “a significant retrogressive step” and “part of the backlash” against sexual and reproductive rights, said Sandeep Prasad, executive director of the NGO Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights.

Last year, the 2015 sex education curriculum for pre-teens, which addressed issues from consent to LGBT rights, was replaced with that from 1998. The provincial government also introduced a hotline – dubbed the “snitch line” by critics – for parents to report on teachers who continue to teach these topics.

Continued: https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/nandini-archer/backlash-against-sex-education-feminist-canada


From America to Ontario: The political impact of the Christian right

From America to Ontario: The political impact of the Christian right

December 4, 2018
André Gagné
Andréa Febres-Gagné

Over the past few years, Christian right groups have made inroads into the political landscape of certain countries. Two recent examples have been the American and Brazilian elections.

Among Christian right organizations, 81 per cent of white evangelicals are credited with helping propel Donald Trump to the White House in 2016.

Continued: https://theconversation.com/from-america-to-ontario-the-political-impact-of-the-christian-right-107400


Canada – Priest charged in abortion bubble-zone flap to mount ‘free speech’ defence

Priest charged in abortion bubble-zone flap to mount 'free speech' defence

Kelly Egan
October 31, 2018

A Roman Catholic priest charged under Ontario’s new “bubble zone” law protecting abortion clinics is vowing to challenge the accusation as a violation of his constitutional right to freedom of expression.

Father Anthony Van Hee, 83, a fixture on Parliament Hill for his anti-abortion protests, moved his silent demonstration across the street from the Morgentaler Clinic, on Bank Street near Sparks, on Oct. 24.

Continued: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/priest-charged-in-abortion-bubble-zone-flap-to-mount-free-speech-defence