Support builds for Oct. 13 Canadian pro-choice actions
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Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics (OCAC) spokesperson Cherie MacDonald reports that support continues to grow for the Oct. 13 binational Day of Action. Pro-choice activities are planned for more than 30 cities throughout English Canada and Quebec.
Access to abortion continues to decline as doctors succumb to fear of prosecution under the restrictive new law passed by the House and pressure from anti-abortion bigots. At the same time, the Tory Minister of Justice has enraged pro-choice supporters by stating that "maybe the law gives the anti's a tiny, tiny, tiny stick with which to harass—but it's not all that significant."
The Canadian Medical Association has condemned this new law, saying that Canadian women will face a crisis situation if it passes the Senate.
MacDonald pointed out that the newly elected New Democratic Party (NDP) government in Ontario has a strong pro-choice position. Abortion rights supporters are calling upon Prime Minister-elect Bob Rae to put this pro-choice platform into effect as soon as Ontario's new government is sworn in on Oct. 1.
OCAC and the Canadian Abortion Rights Action League are demanding that the new NDP government immediately declare the abortion law unenforceable in the province of Ontario. This would place additional pressure on the Tories and the Senate to back down from their anti-women course. Such a step has an historic precedent, since the previous restrictive abortion law was declared unenforceable by Quebec in 1975.
OCAC is also demanding that the new NDP government take steps to make abortion more readily accessible throughout the province by fully funding existing Toronto clinics under the provincial health-insurance plan and by establishing community clinics in other Ontario cities and towns.
MacDonald pointed out that an earlier NDP government in Manitoba enforced federal anti-abortion laws. She explained that Ontario pro-choice activists plan to mobilize support within the unions and community organizations to make sure this doesn't happen again. They plan to pressure the new Ontario government to live up to its stated pro-choice positions.
Newly elected Ontario Prime Minister Bob Rae has been invited to speak at the Oct. 13 rally in Toronto.