Abortion politics and working-class women

In 1988, abortion became a private choice between a woman and her doctor- which is exactly the way it should be. However, I'm a firm believer that we must go beyond protection of abortion services, and focus on their expansion. Case in point is New Brunswick, and its the subject of this excellent article written by Heather Mallick. While abortion may be legal, its a relatively moot if access cannot be had.

Anti-choice advocates are attacking not a woman's right to choose, but her ability to gain safe, timely, and publicly funded abortions. Sadly, they are in lockstep with the provincial government. The unfortunate victim of this attack on a woman's right to choose are working class women, who face various barriers should they decide to seek an abortion.

Since almost no New Brunswick hospitals perform abortions anyway, women must
discover their pregnancy very early, find a local doctor who'll refer them (difficult), and travel to a city to find another doctor to sign for them (expensive), and then book the operation (sometimes cancelled and impossible to rebook).

While these barriers affect all women, the time and money associated with the procedure is one that poses a more significant challenge for working-class women. This one, however, is going to the Supreme Court, as the Morgentaler Clinic has sued the provincial government. At the moment, the young premier's lawyers are arguing that since Henry Morgentaler is not a woman, he should have no standing in the case. That is perhaps the silliest argument I've heard, and one that I hope (and suspect) the Supreme Court will not side with.

Mallick concludes, and I agree, that:

Women are losing control over their own bodies, in Canada, in Britain and in the U.S. But the Canadian fight back begins in a courtroom in May. In the cabinet room of the New Brunswick Liberals, this could be put right with a mere signature. I shall now use the word "shame" appropriately. Shame on you, Premier Shawn Graham.