LEAF is extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Henry Morgentaler whose steadfast courage to ensure the protection of women\u2019s reproductive rights, over the past four decades, has profoundly advanced the lives of women and girls across Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Morgentaler, a family physician from Montreal, and a Polish survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, was steadfast in his advocacy to change Canada\u2019s abortion law, to ensure women had the basic right to access safe abortions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On January 28, 1988, The Supreme Court of Canada struck down the criminalization of abortion as a violation of a woman\u2019s right to security of the person under section 7 of the Charter of Rights<\/em> and Freedoms <\/em>in 1988. The \u201cMorgentaler decision\u201d today stands as one of Canada\u2019s strongest legal precedents for the advancement of reproductive rights for women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although abortion is a safe, legal, insured and funded service under the Canada Health Act<\/em>, access to abortion services still varies greatly across Canada. Many women in Canada still do not have full access to fully exercise their reproductive health and freedom and their fundamental human rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LEAF honours the legacy of Dr. Henry Morgentaler and will continue to strive to ensure women have full control over their reproductive lives and to improve women\u2019s access to safe abortion services across Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our deepest condolences,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Women\u2019s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4299,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4334","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-whats-new"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n