Once again, the Conservative Party of Canada is leading an offensive against women’s right to abortion. With her Bill C-311, Saskatchewan MP Cathay Wagantall is still trying, by devious means, to pass a law that would be nothing less than a setback for women’s rights and the right to abortion. .
Inspired by what’s happening south of the border with the cancellation of the shutdown Roe v. Wade andt all the disturbing restrictions on the right to abortion that followed this decision, the conservatives want to take us back 50 years.
In Quebec, there is a strong social consensus on this fundamental issue. Even the Conservative MPs from Quebec do not dare question the right to abortion as openly and unabashedly as their counterparts in other provinces. In my opinion, one of the best ways to get rid of this sword of Damocles hanging over women’s heads and threatening their freedom is to achieve Quebec independence.
In recent weeks, the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Martine Biron, has pledged to reflect on the protection of women’s right to abortion. It is to his credit, we must be vigilant and vigilant.
But to protect the right of women to dispose of their bodies as they wish, there are actions to be taken now. Currently, the right to abortion does not translate into easy access for all Quebec women. This access is unequal from one region to another.
It is even, in some cases, downright compromised because of the long distances to travel, the fact that women have to take time off from work to obtain it, that there may be waiting periods and a lack of information.
It is not normal for a woman from Témiscamingue to have to travel long hours to get to Rouyn-Noranda or Val-d’Or to terminate her pregnancy. It is not normal that women who live in Gaspésie cannot obtain an abortion anywhere other than Gaspé, and that those from the entire Chaudière-Appalaches region must go to Lévis. In the Capitale-Nationale region, which covers a large area, there are only two clinics for abortions. It is not normal, and above all unfair, that women who live in so-called remote regions are at a disadvantage compared to those who live in urban areas.
I therefore ask M.me Biron to quickly implement a plan to ensure access to abortion throughout the territory and to include access to free contraception. It is important that the right to abortion not only be a right, but a reality for all women who want it.