A request to circulate a petition against Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth's private member's motion in the House of Commons "which clearly opens the possibility of
re-criminalizing abortion" arrived in my in-box this morning. As a public service, I'm providing the information here. Please sign this petition. Help protect Canadian women's access to safe, legal abortion:
"Friend
--
Stephen
Harper said he would not re-open the debate on a woman’s right to
choose.
But
24 hours from now, he’ll allow Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth to put forward
a motion in the House of Commons which clearly opens the possibility of
re-criminalizing abortion.
It’s
up to you to make sure Canadian women and men know about it.
When
I began my nursing career in the 1950s in Quebec, contraception was illegal and
women had no say over family planning. They had no choice, and some faced
desperation.
I
saw women come to the hospital, bleeding and in pain, only to discover they'd
tried to end their pregnancy themselves.
As
a nurse, and later as an MP and Senator, I took part in the hard-fought battles
to institutionalize and enshrine the right to choose in Canadian
law.
And
in 1988 the debate was settled when the Supreme Court ruled: “The decision
whether or not to terminate a pregnancy is essentially a moral decision and in a
free and democratic society, the conscience of the individual must be paramount
to that of the state.”
If
you believe in a Canadian woman’s right to choose, you have 24 hours to speak up
and spread the word.
Thank
you.
Lucie
Pépin
Senator
for Shawinigan, Quebec (1997-2011)
MP, Outremont (1984-1988)"
MP, Outremont (1984-1988)"
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