Canadian left-leaning politicians are decrying the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn the 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision, while a prominent anti-abortion group that holds sway within the Conservative membership is applauding the ruling.
The NDP's foreign affairs critic, Heather McPherson, tweeted attacks on reproductive rights are "abhorrent" and the party’s women and gender equality critic Leah Gazan says women south of the border will be forced "back into the dark ages of back lane abortions."
Gazan wrote on Twitter that abortion is health care and a human right, adding: "Keep your hands off our uteruses!"
Liberal ministers have not yet weighed in, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is attending a Commonwealth meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, but former Liberals are sounding off.
In all-caps, ex-minister Catherine McKenna tweeted women should never be complacent about abortion rights, including in Canada — and ex-minister Bernadette Jordan wrote: "We all could see it coming, that doesn't make it any less devastating."
The Campaign Life Coalition, which holds an annual anti-abortion rally on Parliament Hill that attracts thousands, reacted to the news, saying: "We thank God and heartily applaud this decision."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2022.
The Canadian Press
