Canadian campaign seeks to stop abortion doctor from receiving honor

Published: 2008-07-03

TORONTO (CNS) -- A nationwide campaign has been building to push Prime Minister Stephen Harper into reversing a decision to give the Order of Canada to Dr. Henry Morgentaler, whose 19-year legal battle led to the lifting of the country's restrictions on abortion. Since the July 1 announcement that Morgentaler would receive Canada's highest civilian honor, Catholics and other pro-life advocates have been uniform in their denunciations. On July 2 the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops called on the "appropriate authorities to reconsider this nomination and not to award this distinction to Mr. Morgentaler." Morgentaler began his crusade for legalized abortion in the 1960s. He opened his first abortion clinic in Montreal in 1969 and was charged in 1970 under the country's existing abortion law. Eventually, his case landed before the Supreme Court of Canada which, in 1988, ruled that the country's abortion law was unconstitutional because it violated the right to "life, liberty and security of the person." Before that point, abortions were restricted and had to be done in hospitals. Since that time, Canada has had no law limiting abortions.

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