Every woman deserves to know the truth about abortion. The truth about the actual procedure, the truths about the humanity and corresponding human rights of the pre-born, and the truths about the impact on her physical, emotional and psychological well-being. She deserves this so that she can made the best and most informed choice. NDP MLA Jennifer Bowes should know this. It was therefore somewhat surprising that she recently introduced Bill 605(1), An Act to Provide Safe Access to Abortion Services.
The goal of the bill is ostensibly to ensure “safe access to abortion services” for women. Bowes talks of harassment, but of course, it’s always been illegal under the Criminal Code to assault or harass women, abortion providers, nurses, or anyone else. People who commit these acts should be, and have been, prosecuted. This law does nothing to increase women’s safety in this regard.
This law is not about protecting women’s safety. It’s about shielding women from truths that she has a right to know. The one-sided nature of the law is evidence of this. If this bill is passed it would mean two women could stand side-by-side one with a sign that says, “I regret my abortion” and the other with a sign that says, “I don’t regret my abortion”, but only the latter is legal. This law would go so far as to even ban information about abortion. None of this is about women’s safety. Rather, Bowes considers it necessary to prevent women from hearing the idea that human rights should be extended to the smallest human beings, those in the womb.
People in Saskatchewan have long engaged in many different ways of expressing the truth about abortion. Some do so through pregnancy resource centers, which offer much-needed support and alternative choices to women facing an unplanned pregnancy. Others do so through education about fetal development and what abortion actually does. Others do so by advocating for laws that would reflect a society that values life and protects its most vulnerable. Some even show their care for women and children by simply praying publicly for them. Whether or not you agree with these approaches, the question remains — do women really need to be prevented them from seeing them?
The idea that women need to be protected from information and diverse views about abortion is demeaning to women and does not aid them in any way. Women seeking abortions are often facing difficult circumstances, making complex decisions under stress based on what they think, what they feel, what they see, what they hear - a myriad of factors. And an informed choice requires information. Silencing one viewpoint doesn’t increase autonomy, it decreases the information and potential support available to women.
We are for informing women. This law won’t protect women but only disadvantages them by silencing information.
-- Tabitha Ewert
Tabitha Ewert is Legal Counsel for We Need a Law, a national advocacy group that mobilizes Canadians for the purpose of passing laws that protect pre-born children.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
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