Blogging For Choice Round-up

On January 28 Canada commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada decision in the case of R. v. Morgentaler

David Frum writes (in the National Post) that the Morgentaler decision cheapened the worth of human life

Justice Bertha Wilson would argue that no man could ever properly appreciate the abortion issue “because he can relate to it only by objectifying it, thereby eliminating the subjective elements of the female psyche, which are at the heart of the dilemma.”

Here in Canada while the Feds investigate the use of government logo on anti-abortion banner and the Ottawa Senator hockey wives hold raffles for the First Place Pregnancy Centre, (an Ottawa anti-abortion group run by Pentecostal Christians), the majority of Canadians oppose the idea of making abortion illegal and some go so far as to boycott places like Curves (founder Gary Heavin reportedly anti-choice)

Today, in the U.S, they are commemorating the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Feministing writes: Commemorate Roe, but work for reproductive justice. For those who are unfamiliar with the idea of reproductive justice, as opposed to reproductive rights...The term "reproductive justice" was coined in 1994 by the Black Women's Caucus at a national pro-choice conference in Chicago. (Some of these same women went on to co-found the amazing organization SisterSong.) Instead of focusing on the right to abortion, reproductive justice takes a holistic view of women's health and social justice issues.

The U.S. anti-choice crowds are out in the thousands today:

Today, thousands of anti-abortion activists rallied in Washington , no suprise that President George W Bush has restated his personal opposition to abortion on the 35th anniversary of its legalisation in the US.

The Los Angeles Times writes:"It's not 1973. Pro-choice forces must adjust to regain the moral high ground."

If Men Could Get Pregnant, Abortion Would be a Sacrament

Childbirth is miraculous, but it can also be difficult, dangerous and even deadly -- so why should men be able to force women to go through it?

There is a low-budget documentary called Leona's Sister Gerri that helps me connect to that time. It unravels the story of a photograph (viewer discretion advised) of an anonymous woman lying face down in a pool of blood on a motel floor, dead after a botched abortion. She became an icon for the pro-choice movement when Ms. magazine published her image. The film makes Gerri Santoro into the story of a person, not a coat hanger. We learn through her that women went to unimaginable lengths to not be pregnant.

On this anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Suzanne Grossman gives thanks to the men and women who make this choice possible -- to doctors, to clinic workers, to advocates and activists, to lawmakers and politicians who are brave enough to stand up to "pro-life" rhetoric, to all of those who fought for abortion rights before..... and finally to Justice Harry Blackmun, the author of Roe v. Wade. He received hate mail for the rest of his life as a result of that decision, but for thousands of women he is a hero.

He is certainly one of mine.