40 Years Ago…

On January 22, 1973 the American Supreme Court decided that abortion would become legal, thanks to Roe v. Wade. Canada has had unrestricted abortion access since 1989.

We still have a long way to go in terms to better access and eliminating the stigma around abortion but I am confident we will get there!

Today I celebrate my right to reproductive health and my right to choose!

Teaser Tuesdays: The Cider House Rules

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“No one but me ever put a hand on me, to feel that baby. No one wanted to put his ear against it and listen…You shouldn’t have a baby is there’s no one who wants to feel it kick or listen to it move.” (This quote really touched me)

Reading on Kobo

“Perhaps the state of mind that ether occasionally allowed Dr. Larch to enjoy was, increasingly, a state of mind that Larch could summon just by looking out a window.”

WWW Wednesdays: Jan 9

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

 

Currently Reading

Recently Finished

Reading Next

OR

More WWW’s!

http://ecsuniverse.blogspot.ca/

http://lillianwheeler.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/www-wednesdays-jan-9/

http://proverbs215.blogspot.ca/2013/01/www-wednesday-january-9-2013.html

http://turnersantics.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/www-wednesdays-13.html

WWW Wednesdays (Jan.2)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Recently Finished

Might Read Next

Daily Prompt: IMHO

Link to an item in the news you’ve been thinking about lately, and write the op-ed you’d like to see published on the topic.

I haven’t really been thinking about anything a lot lately. I think about many things all are fairly dominant in my mind. I did in my 2nd year of university write an op’ed piece on abortion access in Canada which got me an alright mark but a 5/5 for passion!

I can write a little about that I guess.

Savita Halappanavar

Ireland: Savita Halappanavar, 31 years old and 17 weeks pregnant, died after experiencing a miscarriage and septicemia. Savita and her husband requested a termination of the pregnancy, which would have ended the agony she was experiencing,  but they were told by doctors, “This is a Catholic country.” There is now a huge backlash against the Irish government to allow legal abortions to save the life of the mother.

I am lucky that we do not have this issue in Canada. Abortion is legal in Canada. I know where at least two clinics are in Toronto that will provide the service to women (one of them is NOT Planned Parenthood by the way). I will say it again though, I am lucky. Not every major city or every province/territory has access to abortion clinics.

I find is odd that despite the legal nature of abortions in Canada women and couples are still resorting to drastic measures to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. A year ago, a 14 year old girl from Prince Edward Island (PEI) put herself through 2 weeks of horrible self harm in an attempt to terminate her pregnancy. She ingested toxic chemicals, threw herself down stairs, rammed her stomach into tables and got drunk. PEI does not have an abortion clinic or a hospital that provides the service. The girls and women of PEI have to travel to another province to get the service which then costs money (ie: transportation).

Although legal in Canada, abortions are faced with the same moral beliefs as we’ve seen around the world. Dr. Henry Morgentaler, the first doctor to open an abortion clinic in Canada, during an opening of a clinic in Toronto was attacked by man with garden shears.  A Winnipeg abortion provider was shot in his home 15 years ago and has written a memoir on the experience, “They Shoot Doctors Don’t They?” These personal threats and attacks of violence have driven many aspiring doctors to not pursue providing this important aspect of Canadian healthcare! This is leading to a shortage of providers across the country.

Abortion is funded mostly by provincial healthcare, especially if performed in a hospital. This means that every woman who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of the country has access to free abortions. This is still unfortunate because women from the USA who may be looking for abortion and come to Canada will expect to pay over $300 for the procedure (and the prices vary depending how far along in the pregnancy you are). I’m not even including the cost of coming and staying in this country for the procedure.

Overall, if Canada recognizes that abortion is a legal right of a woman then it needs to show it more! As it stands right now I could get illegal drugs easier than I could get a legal abortion. If it is legal then it should not be so difficult to get! If it is legal people should stop discriminating against the women and doctors who chose that path!

Abortion funding in Canada

English: A map of abortion access in Canada, by provincial/territorial funding of abortions performed in either hospitals or private clinics, and the number of hospitals or clinics which are providing such services.

  Light Yellow: Fully-funded by provincial government

   Yellow: Partial funding for private clinics

   Grey: No funding for private clinics

   Green: No clinic or hospital providing abortion services in the province or territory

Canadian Abortion Experience: Call for Contributors

On Facebook I’ve “Liked” the group Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (http://www.facebook.com/AbortionRights). Today they posted that an edited book is being developed to showcase Canadian abortion issues and experiences.

It is called “Canadian Abortion Experience: Voices on Choice(s). They are looking for contributors!

Canadian Abortion Experience

They are looking for 2 things: narratives and think pieces.

Narratives are for those who have experienced an abortion in some way. Personal experience, know someone who has had an abortion or are an abortion practitioner. These stories share the memories, motivations, feelings, experiences etc. (2,000 words)

Think pieces are essay styles (500-2,500 words. They have a variety of topics such as:

• What does (or doesn’t) “choice” mean to you?
• Refocusing the abortion debate on the pregnant woman instead of the fetus
• Unequal access to abortion services
• AND MORE!!!!

So if you are Canadian, have a pro choice opinion or abortion experience consider submitting! Due June 30, 2012. I’m going to submit something just don’t know what!

Rick Santorum Aborts Presidential Campaign

The abortion and birth control debate that has been going on in America has been causing me a lot of pain! When it first started gaining steam in January I was seriously depressed that this talk of defunding abortion and all the birth control bashing was happening! I am a pro-choice woman and I feel safe in my country, Canada, that this type of oppressive talk will only ever be a talk and never an action!

Here is a freaking funny video on Rick Santorum dropping out of the race on Funny or Die!

Rick Santorum Aborts Presidential Campaign