NAF Canada Globe and Mail ad Says Abortion Rights Shouldn’t be up for Debate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2013
CONTACT:
Melissa Fowler
202.667.5881; 202.595.4395 (after hours/cell)
mfowler@prochoice.org
NAF Canada Globe and Mail ad Says Abortion Rights Shouldn’t be up for Debate
Saporta: “There would be massive public outrage if politicians or groups called to revoke women’s voting rights. We should have the same reaction to those who wish to reopen the abortion debate and take away this basic human right.”
Today, the National Abortion Federation Canada ran a full-page ad in the Globe and Mail to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the R v. Morgentaler decision, which decriminalized abortion in Canada on this date in 1988.
“The Morgentaler decision rightly removed the government from private medical decisions and is a human rights victory for women,” NAF Canada President and CEO Vicki Saporta said.
The ad features a timeline of important human rights victories, including Canadian women earning the right to vote in 1918; the abolition of immigration criteria based on race, colour, and ethnicity in 1962; and the decriminalization of homosexuality and legalization of birth control, both in 1969, with the text, “None of these rights are up for debate. This one shouldn’t be either: January 28, 1988: R v. Morgentaler decriminalizes abortion and gives women control of their bodies.”
“Just like giving women the right to vote, strengthening aboriginal rights, or decriminalizing homosexuality, the right to obtain legal abortion care was hard fought and extensively debated. Yet none of these other rights are so constantly under attack or up for debate—and the right to obtain a legal abortion shouldn’t be either,” Saporta said.
Although Canada has no federal law restricting abortion, anti-choice politicians and other abortion opponents continue to attempt to reopen the debate on this issue.
“There would be massive public outrage if politicians or groups called to revoke women’s voting rights. In fact, even to think about such a prospect seems absurd,” Saporta said. “We should have the same reaction to those who wish to reopen the abortion debate and take away this basic human right.”
To view and download a pdf of the ad visit: http://www.nafcanada.org/ad-globe-mail.html.
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The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is the professional association of abortion providers in North America. Our members include clinics, hospitals and physicians who together care for more than 80 percent of the women who choose abortion in Canada each year. NAF Canada works to ensure that abortion care is safe, legal, and accessible.