The Historical Significance Of The 1988 Abortion Bill Strike Down

Marisol Ona Carruthers

Mr.Howie

CHC2D

Jun 6, 2023

The Historical Significance of the 1988 Abortion Bill Strike Down In 1988, an event occurred in Canada as the country's abortion laws were struck down, initiating a significant shift in reproductive rights and women's autonomy. With this change came a great controversy and debate for many years to come. The question is, Was the supreme court's decision historically significant? The supreme court's decision can largely be attributed to the case of R.v. Mogentaler. The rulings of this case declared that the law, which criminalizes abortions, violated women's rights to life, liberty and security as previously guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This led to the legalization

The 1988 decision to legalize abortions was a historically significant event that altered the course of history by granting women the right to bodily autonomy, established a legal precedent and sparked a major public debate continuing to this day.

Since the law was struck down, women in Canada have been granted the right to choose and have anatomy over their own bodies, saving many lives in the process. The absence of safe and legal abortions, women often resorted to alternate methods, seeking out unsafe procedures that put their lives at risk. 13% of deaths from pregnancy are related to unsafe and illegal abortions, this is translated to the deaths of 47000 women and 85 million injured each year. (SITE) By legalizing abortions women are less inclined to resort to harmful alternatives which has further decreased the amount of deaths and injuries as a result. Secondly, criminalization of abortion had consequences for women, often forcing them to carry unwanted pregnancies to term and endure a life of hardships and poverty. Not only does this affect the mother but the child

Although it had been an argument for many decades prior, the decision intensified it. Along with the strike down, Pro-choice activists utilized the opportunity to defend the right to choose and push for increased reproductive rights and health care. The legalization of abortions provided pro-choice activists with the ability to defend the right to choose and advocate for increased reproductive rights and healthcare. They took on the role of pushing for increased access to safe and legal abortions and women's reproductive healthcare and a well rounded education on the subject. As a result of their efforts for many decades they have made numerous breakthroughs for all women such as 3.5million dollars of funding for sexual and reproductive health from the government of Canada (Health Canada 1). The strike down was proof their hard work could lead to change and has been used as a motivator for the rest of their efforts and protests. Additionally, with the rise of pro-choice activists, anti-abortionists actively fought back against the decision and sought to re-criminalize abortions. Their actions have not been successful since the strike down legally, but their efforts to stop abortions has largely contributed to the stigma surrounding them. Since 1988 there has consistently been protests and rallies actively fighting for re-criminalization, many of them being large scale and historically monumental.