By Anna Mehler Paperny
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canada’s prime minister and deputy prime minister on Tuesday confirmed their support for women’s right to choose, after a leaked draft indicated the U.S. Supreme Court was ready to overturn a ruling history that legalized abortion in the country.
The Bloc Québécois, a federal political party, also tabled a motion in the Canadian Parliament on Tuesday to recognize the “free right” of women “in the question of abortion”.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said she was “shocked and deeply concerned” by the bill and said her government had a “clear and determined commitment” to protecting women’s right to choose.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet: “We will never back down from protecting and promoting the rights of women in Canada and around the world.
The Supreme Court of Canada decriminalized abortion in a landmark 1988 decision. Since then, abortion has been a medical procedure like any other, but there are still barriers to accessing it, especially for people living in outside of urban areas.
Canada’s highest court is unlikely to recriminalize abortion for the foreseeable future, but if the US Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, it can encourage anti-abortion movements and energize abortion activists, pro and anti-abortion analysts and activists told Reuters.
(Report by Anna Mehler Paperny)
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