08) SALUTE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF DR. HENRY MORGENTALER

Central Committee, Communist Party of Canada, June 1‑2, 2013 

     The Communist Party of Canada joins other democratic movements in paying tribute to the many remarkable contributions of Dr. Henry Morgentaler, who passed away on May 29. The women's movement and other equity seeking organizations, such as the Communist Party, have long fought for the rights of women to choose if and when they have children.

     Dr. Morgentaler played a historic and pivotal role in that struggle to secure a fundamental human right for women ‑ the right to direct their own lives and destiny by controlling their fertility and bodies. Recognizing the importance and necessity of women's access to safe and legal abortion, Dr Morgentaler openly defied Canada's unjust laws, refusing to perform abortion in secret. For his actions, he was repeatedly jailed and faced countless death threats. His willingness to challenge the law resulted three acquittals by juries in Quebec, and ultimately in a sweeping court victory on January 28, 1988, when the Supreme Court of Canada stuck down the abortion law in its entirety. That case became known as the "Morgentaler decision" and today stands as one of Canada's strongest legal precedents for the advancement of human rights.

     A survivor of the Nazi death camps, Dr. Morgentaler also became a powerful defender of civil liberties and democratic freedoms, and passionate supporter of social justice in Canada. As we salute the memory and achievements of Dr. Henry Morgentaler, we also renew our commitment to stand with all supporters of women's equality, to defeat the efforts by anti‑choice forces to roll back history, and to remove the remaining barriers to full access to the entire range of reproductive rights in all parts of Canada.

(The above article is from the June 16-30, 2013, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)