This week, a draft version of an American Supreme Court decision was leaked. If genuine and accurate (as justices could still change their votes before an official decision is made), this decision would overturn the landmark Roe. v. Wade decision of 1973, which functionally legalized abortion in the United States.
Several American states have made legislative, and policy moves to limit abortion within their jurisdictions; if Roe is overturned, further limitations would be highly likely.
In Canada, abortion rights were affirmed by our own Supreme Court in the 1988 Morgentaler case. The Court found that the prohibition against abortion (in the Criminal Code at the time) was unconstitutional based on infringement of Canadian’s Section 7 Charter right, that is, one’s right to “Life, liberty, and security of the person.”
The consequences of overturning Roe, in the US and in Canada, will likely be significant and far-reaching. Further developments will be detailed in this column.