Abortion Pioneer Dr. Henry Morgentaler Dies at 90 (Merged)

[crazyforkate]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/201 ... taler.html

What a life he lived. Thank you, Dr. Morgentaler, for all you did for Canadian women. We currently enjoy more reproductive rights than almost any women on earth, and he worked to expand access right up until the end of his life. I'd call him one of Canada's heroes, for sure.

EDIT: What strikes me about this article is that a great majority of the comments on it are positive. So glad to see people appreciating what he did.

[bluelady]

I would have been 9 when the Supreme Court struck down the abortion law. I remember hearing a lot about Dr. Morgentaler on TV and the radio back then and I remember being a little scared of him. Not because my parents were anti-abortion (to be honest, I've never asked them) and spoke of him as though I should be scared, but I think I thought he looked a little scary and had a scary sounding name. Funny how now, older, I see him as kind and giving - willing to stand up for Canadian women's right.

They have a Morgentaler clinic in my hometown, where my sister and parents still live. Last summer I was there visiting and my sister came home in a RAGE. Full on rage. She said that she saw a protester outside the clinic who had her young teenaged daughter protesting with her. My sister got so upset at it, she drove around the block to come back to them. Got out of the car and let the protester have it. The protester started with the "Life begins at conception" and "The Bible says..." bit, so my sister laid into her about how she was teaching her daughter judgement, etc., etc. Having been on the losing end of an argument with my sister before, I don't envy the protester. At all. I guess my sister said her piece, got in the car, flipped the protester the bird and sped off.

[IamCanadian]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/201 ... taler.html

I'm not sure if this should be in chatter instead. Mods, feel free to move.

Wait until this hits Fox News and fundie blogs. The commentary will be nuts.

Edited to add: Oops, duplicate thread. My bad. :whistle:

[Justme]

Duplicate thread.

[IamCanadian]

He certainly did a lot for women's rights here in Canada. I can't help but wonder if he, being such a public figure, would have lived to be 90 in a country with less strict gun laws. Seriously not trying to start a gun debate here, but I've always been surprised that he was able to live his life so publicly while many abortion-providing doctors south of the border have to wear bullet-proof vests to go to the supermarket.

[alchemy]

My parents and church were actively anti-abortion and I grew up being taught to despise this man.

Now that my views have changed I only have a tremendous amount of respect for him and appreciate all he did for women's reproductive rights in Canada. I'm glad my people's efforts were in vain.

[fundyfunland]

Sad day for all women in Canada, for sure. I'm so grateful to this man for what he's done to promote women's reproductive rights here. He actually performed an abortion on one of my close friends, and she said he was the nicest guy, and made the procedure pretty easy and as relaxing as it could be. She said he was a pretty funny guy :)

[crazyforkate]

He certainly did a lot for women's rights here in Canada. I can't help but wonder if he, being such a public figure, would have lived to be 90 in a country with less strict gun laws. Seriously not trying to start a gun debate here, but I've always been surprised that he was able to live his life so publicly while many abortion-providing doctors south of the border have to wear bullet-proof vests to go to the supermarket.

His clinics did get bombed a couple of times, and I think he was shot at. Of course, the man survived much more violence before he was even a doctor than in his entire career, so I have to wonder how much that fazed him.

[LadyBlue]

He certainly did a lot for women's rights here in Canada. I can't help but wonder if he, being such a public figure, would have lived to be 90 in a country with less strict gun laws. Seriously not trying to start a gun debate here, but I've always been surprised that he was able to live his life so publicly while many abortion-providing doctors south of the border have to wear bullet-proof vests to go to the supermarket.

One of the articles I read about him today, either the NY Times Obit or the Globe & Mail, mentioned that he took to wearing a bullet proof vest and had bullet proof glass installed.

The Globe & Mail article was really good and a couple of great quotes from him. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... e12221564/ (news site)

“I knew I could not save my mother,†he told The Globe in 2003. “But I could save other mothers. It was an unconscious thought. It became almost like a command. If I help women to have babies at a time when they can give love and affection, they will not grow up to be rapists or murders. They will not build concentration camps.â€

On the anti-abortion law being declared unconstitutional

“It was a vindication of everything I believed in,†he said. “For the first time, it gave women the status of full human beings able to make decisions about their own lives.â€

I told my kids a great man died today.

[Minerva]

He was a great man. As a woman who doesn't want kids, I get a little emotional knowing that I literally owe this man my freedom. He survived Auschwitz, then willingly risked his life and freedom all over again. And women my age totally take it for granted, which is a shame.

[Minerva]

This just showed up on my facebook feed. Octopus is a book store in Ottawa, I believe. Very touching.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

[Lainey]

Did he get an Order of Canada? I remember his name from some discussion about that...some *ahem* "journalists" at the Sun were Highly Opposed.

[Minerva]

Did he get an Order of Canada? I remember his name from some discussion about that...some *ahem* "journalists" at the Sun were Highly Opposed.

Yep, he got an Order of Canada. And using the word "journalist" in the same sentence as "Sun" is generous. Don't get me wrong, some legit journalists have gotten their start working for Sun, but overall Sun has the lowest journalistic standards of any media corporation I've ever encountered.

[crazyforkate]

He was also named Canada's 89th best Canadian and 3rd worst. I like to think both are an acomplishment!

[LadyBlue]

Did he get an Order of Canada? I remember his name from some discussion about that...some *ahem* "journalists" at the Sun were Highly Opposed.

In 2008. Apparently there was a huge campaign in 2005 which failed, but his health deteriorated more in 2008 and since it isn't given posthumously, there was another big push. He was given the lowest level one, but I have no idea what the different criteria are. Several people returned theirs in protest, which I think is...idiotic.

[fundyfunland]

Yep, he got an Order of Canada. And using the word "journalist" in the same sentence as "Sun" is generous. Don't get me wrong, some legit journalists have gotten their start working for Sun, but overall Sun has the lowest journalistic standards of any media corporation I've ever encountered.

Yep. And the Sun had this to say today: "Arguably the most polarizing Canadian figure of the latter 20th century, Dr. Henry Morgentaler died at his Toronto home on Thursday." http://www.torontosun.com/2013/05/29/dr ... 90-reports

Really? Most polarizing? Ummm....how about Harper, you know, the guy who took the "progressive" out of "Progressive Conservative" and continues to make unilateral decisions everyday of his working life, without consulting the public. Sensationalist journalism? Yep, pretty sure the Sun gets the top award for that one.

[Anxious Girl]

May that man rest in peace. If he believed in God, he sure does deserve to go to Heaven more than any other judgemental Christian asshat. I'm surprised that M3 hasn't come in yet... Please don't hurt me!

[crazyforkate]

Yep. And the Sun had this to say today: "Arguably the most polarizing Canadian figure of the latter 20th century, Dr. Henry Morgentaler died at his Toronto home on Thursday." http://www.torontosun.com/2013/05/29/dr ... 90-reports

Really? Most polarizing? Ummm....how about Harper, you know, the guy who took the "progressive" out of "Progressive Conservative" and continues to make unilateral decisions everyday of his working life, without consulting the public. Sensationalist journalism? Yep, pretty sure the Sun gets the top award for that one.

Really, abortion isn't that polarizing an issue in Canada today. Sure, there will always be vocal pro-lifers and we can never, ever, EVER take the right to abortion for granted - but it's nowhere near under the same level of threat as in the US. It's come up a few times since Harper took office but never gets far. Certainly it's not the hot-button issue in our elections like we've seen south of the border.

[alchemy]

Conservative MP laments Morgentaler’s ‘harm to women’

globalnews.ca/news/604509/conservative-mp-laments-morgentalers-harm-to-women/

from the article:

And pro-life MP Mark Warawa cryptically remarked that “hopefully he made things right†before his death.

To a person raised conservative Christian, where we were reminded on a daily basis to make sure we'd made things right with the Lord, that doesn't seem like much of a cryptic remark.

[crassy]

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Morgentaler in the early 90s. Granted the situation wasn't ideal but he was lovely, soothing, and put my 16 year old self at ease. He was genuinely caring and made the entire experience bearable for me. I will always hold a special place in my heart for him for assisting me during that time.

My FB feed exploded with an awesome outpouring of admiration for him when his death was announced. I come from an immediate family of very outspoken, liberal, lefty, feminists so it wasn't surprising. Most of my friends are the same. I did have a handful of idiots who were cheering his death. I made a post about how disgusting I thought they all were, them and their 'good christian morals' cheering the death of another human being, and then I promptly deleted all of them.

[bluelady]

Really, abortion isn't that polarizing an issue in Canada today. Sure, there will always be vocal pro-lifers and we can never, ever, EVER take the right to abortion for granted - but it's nowhere near under the same level of threat as in the US. It's come up a few times since Harper took office but never gets far. Certainly it's not the hot-button issue in our elections like we've seen south of the border.

This is true, but there is still a long way to go. Women in PEI, for example, cannot get abortions in their home province. They have to travel to NB or NS. And, in NB, the government will only pay for abortions performed at a hospital, with the approval of two physicians. Henry Morgentaler was still a part of fighting these two issues at the time of his death.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/201 ... anada.html