Abortion In Canada

As we know, social movements are organized efforts to assert newly emerged thoughts, values, and beliefs in society. Collective actors organize social movements in order to challenge societal rules and norms. Abortion has been a topic of Canada’s societal and political concerns for many years and as of 1988 it was recognized that it is a woman’s right to control her own reproductive system. There are numerous debates surrounding abortion laws in Canada and the discussions generally range from merely opposing the rules/norms to a broader concern about the legal and social/moral arguments around reproductive health for women. While there are strong arguments supporting the moral debate such as Dr. Romalis’ speech Why I Do Abortions, I believe …show more content…
To me, that was not the most noteworthy aspect of the article… it was the Canadian responses to inequality of access and how the changes to the legislation made a difference in the lives of Canadian women today. I strongly believe this supports my first argument that the Vancouver Women’s Caucus successfully “championed the interests of long-standing groups that have been politicized in new ways…” as Smith contended as the Criminal Code was changed as a result of their organization and the social movements they structured. The article goes on to discuss how Pierre Trudeau’s government succeeded in reforming the Criminal Code in 1969 and how in 1977 “illegal abortion deaths in Canada had decreased since the passage in 1969”. Without the Vancouver Women’s Caucus and their determination, the Criminal Code would not have been reformed as it was. As of 1977 there was a decrease in the number of deaths caused by illegal abortions therefore indicating a significant change had occurred in …show more content…
The author defines feminists as women who are “collectively and consciously organised to better their situation and gain equality with men” which is the role of a collective actor. The author argues that a feminist, or in this scenario, a collective actor, expresses their will and act effectively to improve their life and change their society’s well-being according to a common interest of newly emerged identities. I believe this article is influential to supporting my second argument that due to the efforts of the Vancouver Women’s Caucus, information and products regarding birth control became available because this article exemplifies the fact that while women may not have completely escaped the disputes surrounding abortion laws, social movements and collective actors succeeded more so than any other political organization in contesting the rules and norms surrounding abortion and access to contraception. This article also demonstrates to the reader the effectiveness of a collective actor due to their level of opposition and desire to make a

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