Fundies Opposing Attempt to Honour Dr. Morgentaler

[morgan_dhu]

From rocketdreams via feminist:


The University of Western Ontario has decided to give Dr. Henry Morgentaler an honorary Doctor of Laws degree on June 16. Unfortunately, the university has been getting a large amount of anti-choice mail protesting this decision and slandering Dr. Morgentaler. In contrast, there has been next to no pro-choice mail in support, so far. Dr. Morgentaler is a hero to Canadian women for securing the right to choose abortion in 1988, in the Supreme Court Morgentaler decision that threw out Canada's abortion law.

Could you possibly help with a short, affirming e-mail to the administrators at the university?

Below are the names and e-mail addresses of the President of the University and the Chair of the Board of Governors. It is really important that as many people as possible write to these administrators praising the decision to confer the law degree on Dr. Morgentaler as soon as possible. The anti's are holding a vigil on Wednesday at 2pm. And could you pass this message on to other Canadians who would be willing to take a few moments to send a note of praise?

Thank you so much for your support!

Email to:
Dr. Paul Davenport, President, UWO
pdavenpo@uwo.ca

Don McDougall, Chair of Board of Governors
c/o Jan VanFleet, University Secretary
vanfleet@uwo.ca


For those who aren't familiar with Dr. Morgentaler, he is probably the single person most responsible for the legalisation of abortion in Canada. Back when abortion was still illegal, he chose to perform abortions for women who needed tham, rather than send them to back-street butchers. he opened up freestanding clinics, first in Quebec, and then in other provinces, in defiance of the law, and through his court battles succeeded in proving that Canadians did not believe that providing a necessary medical service to women and respecting their rights to reproductive freedom should be against the law. He was charged numerous times, but never convicted by a jury - although the government of Quebec did appeal one early aquittal verdict which resulted in his being sentenced by a judge and spending time in prison, during which he suffered serious health problems. But that didn't stop him.

He's one of my heroes. Read more here.

Please pass this on to any Canadians you may know.

Comments

[hawkeye7.livejournal.com]

Has this been an issue in Canda? Has there been any recent moves to change abortion laws?

[morgan-dhu.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, the assorted findamentalist Christian/social conservative anti-abortion elements over here have been cranking up the rhetoric in the past year or so, along with drumming up support to try and defeat the same-sex marriage legislation that the current government has introduced. And they have been receiving funding from religious intrest groups in the U.S. to keep the battle going.

The current minority government has been rocked by a serious scandal, and there's a strong likelihood that there will be a vote of confidence soon, which they will lose unless something happens in their favour soon.

The main opposition party, the Conservatives (who are not the old Tories but a new party formed from the right wing of the old Tory party and the ultra-right wing Reform party), are very socially conservative, and while their leader has said that he has no plans at the moment to try and introduce legislation limiting access to abortion, there is a strong element in his party that want him to do exactly that, along with defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman, bringing back the death penalty, and a number of other policies that would likely create a huge amount of controversy.

It's going to be a very interesting few years for progressives in Canada, I fear.