When discussing abortion rights in Canada, many Americans are surprised when I tell them that Canada has no laws about adults’ reproductive rights.
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Meanwhile, back in the country formally known as having the most advanced health care system in the world, the cry from the Christian Fascists is to Make America Fertile Again.

Lower birth rates are associated with a more educated population and a higher standard of living.

No criminalization of vasectomy.

No criminalization of tubal ligation.

No criminalization of oral contraceptives or LARC (such as IUD.)

No criminalization of “morning after” pills.

No criminalization of abortion.

These are health care decisions.

In 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in R. v. Morgentaler, [1988] 1 SCR 30, that any law that restricted a woman’s right to life, liberty, and security of person (section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982, SC 1982, c. 11) was unconstitutional.

There is a law in the province of British Columbia regarding abortion services, not to restrict reproductive rights, but to protect them.

In BC, the Access to Abortion Services Act, SBC 1995, c. 35 came into force. It creates ‘access zones’ by limiting demonstrations outside abortion clinics, doctor’s office and doctor’s homes.

Abortion rights in Canada

Like all humans, he had flaws.

As a Canadian politician he was courageous. He was truly a democratic socialist. He stood up against powerful interests in support of common people. He is the father of socialized medical services in Canada. Millions owe their good health to him. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions owe their longevity to him.

Tommy Douglas

Here is a cautionary quote from Tommy Douglas,

“Once more, let me remind you what fascism is. It need not wear a brown shirt, or a green shirt — it may even wear a dress shirt.

“Fascism begins the moment a ruling class, fearing the people may use their political democracy to gain economic democracy, begins to destroy political democracy in order to retain its power of exploitation and special privilege.”

When I was in high school in the 1960s I had two social/political hopes and one fear.

One hope was that in Canada, discrimination against homosexual people would be ended and that homosexual people would have full acceptance in society. (At that time we weren’t thinking LGBTQ2S+.)

The second was that Canada would end the creation of hundreds of thousands of criminals who simply used cannabis.

I am happy that both of those have largely come to pass during my lifetime. (There will always be bigots, so although legally there is not discrimination based on sexual orientation some discrimination remains.)

My fear, some sixty years ago was that the US would become a fascist state that would subjugate Canada.

That fear remains.