Due to the individual political, moral, and religious ideologies held by an extremely passionate and diverse population, abortion has always been considered a highly controversial ethical issue within Canadian society. Because there is ethical debate over the ‘humanness’ of embryos, it is unclear to many whether womens’ expression of their fundamental rights could potentially act in direct violation of the rights of ‘unborn children’ (Should Abortion be Legal?, 2015). And with approximately 52% of the population identifying as pro-choice, 27% identifying as pro-life, and 21% undecided or unwilling to identify/respond (Ekos Politics, 2010), our nation has never been able to reach unanimity in regard to the ethicality of Canada’s current abortion
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However, when the spread of Christianity and Islam occurred throughout Europe and the Eastern Empire, stigma and intolerance for abortion practices spread with it as well. Yet abortions did not legally become prohibited- at the Christian church’s urging- in England until the early 19th century. Due to England’s legal sovereignty, Canada immediately followed suit, and in 1892, the prohibition of abortion was written into Canada’s first Criminal Code. Abortion then remained a criminal offence in Canada until 1969, when Prime Minister Trudeau's Liberal government decriminalized abortion under the circumstance that a committee of doctors determined that continuing pregnancy would threaten a woman's life or health (Abortion Rights: significant moments in Canadian history, 2009). Proceeding that, Canada enacted the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982 which states that any law found contravening Canadians’ fundamental rights could be struck down as invalid. It was the institution of the that very Charter that lead to the successful case of R v Morgentaler in 1988, and as a result, Canada’s abortion laws were struck down for violating Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by infringing upon a woman's right to "life, liberty and security of person" (Legal Abortion in Canada, n.d.). Though there have been many attempts since, no laws have successfully passed through the House of …show more content…
First, “modern abortion procedures are safe and do not cause lasting health issues such as cancer and infertility”, and “women who receive abortions are less likely to suffer mental health problems than [those] denied”. Second, most abortions are performed when fetuses are incapable of feeling pain, and “[a]bortions give pregnant women the option to [prevent an embryo’s suffering by choosing] not to bring fetuses with profound abnormalities to full term”. Third, women who are denied abortions are more likely to become unemployed, live below the poverty line, rely on public welfare, and fall victim to domestic violence. As well, abortion has been statistically proven to protect women from financial disadvantage, reduce welfare costs for tax payers, and reduces crime rates in countries where it has been legalized (Should Abortion be Legal?, 2015). Finally, it was determined by the Supreme Court of Canada in R v Morgentaler that "[f]orcing a woman, by threat of criminal sanction, to carry a fetus to term[…] is a profound interference with a woman's body and thus a violation of her security of the person" (Abortion Rights: significant moments in Canadian history, 2009). Therefore, reproductive choice is a fundamental right that can empower women by giving them control over their own bodies and futures (Should Abortion be Legal?,
However, when the spread of Christianity and Islam occurred throughout Europe and the Eastern Empire, stigma and intolerance for abortion practices spread with it as well. Yet abortions did not legally become prohibited- at the Christian church’s urging- in England until the early 19th century. Due to England’s legal sovereignty, Canada immediately followed suit, and in 1892, the prohibition of abortion was written into Canada’s first Criminal Code. Abortion then remained a criminal offence in Canada until 1969, when Prime Minister Trudeau's Liberal government decriminalized abortion under the circumstance that a committee of doctors determined that continuing pregnancy would threaten a woman's life or health (Abortion Rights: significant moments in Canadian history, 2009). Proceeding that, Canada enacted the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982 which states that any law found contravening Canadians’ fundamental rights could be struck down as invalid. It was the institution of the that very Charter that lead to the successful case of R v Morgentaler in 1988, and as a result, Canada’s abortion laws were struck down for violating Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by infringing upon a woman's right to "life, liberty and security of person" (Legal Abortion in Canada, n.d.). Though there have been many attempts since, no laws have successfully passed through the House of …show more content…
First, “modern abortion procedures are safe and do not cause lasting health issues such as cancer and infertility”, and “women who receive abortions are less likely to suffer mental health problems than [those] denied”. Second, most abortions are performed when fetuses are incapable of feeling pain, and “[a]bortions give pregnant women the option to [prevent an embryo’s suffering by choosing] not to bring fetuses with profound abnormalities to full term”. Third, women who are denied abortions are more likely to become unemployed, live below the poverty line, rely on public welfare, and fall victim to domestic violence. As well, abortion has been statistically proven to protect women from financial disadvantage, reduce welfare costs for tax payers, and reduces crime rates in countries where it has been legalized (Should Abortion be Legal?, 2015). Finally, it was determined by the Supreme Court of Canada in R v Morgentaler that "[f]orcing a woman, by threat of criminal sanction, to carry a fetus to term[…] is a profound interference with a woman's body and thus a violation of her security of the person" (Abortion Rights: significant moments in Canadian history, 2009). Therefore, reproductive choice is a fundamental right that can empower women by giving them control over their own bodies and futures (Should Abortion be Legal?,