Quebec women's group protests for better abortion rights in front of American consulate
Around two dozen women stood on the Dufferin Terrace in front of the US Consulate in Quebec City to demand better access to abortion for all women both sides of the border and quality public health services.
Some members of the Regroupement des groupes de femmes de la Capitale-Nationale (RGF-CN) were topless with slogans painted across their torso, including "my uterus, my choice," "my body, my choice," and "the future is feminine," while other women had red painted hands and other symbolic bloodstains on their bodies.
Some women held up coat hangers as a dramatic reminder of the lengths some have gone to historically to perform an abortion.
Protesters are demanding better access to abortions in Canada and the US. SOURCE: Regroupement des groupes de femmes de la région de la Capitale-NationaleMay 28 is the International Day of Action for Women's Health and the women wanted to transform "their bodies into political messages in order to recall their right to fully control their bodies and their maternity," according to the group's release.
"With this action, we want to create a strong and powerful image that demonstrates the violence that these attacks on abortion constitute for women and their physical and moral integrity," RGF-CN spokesperson Élise Landriault-Dupont said in the release. "It is their lives that are put in danger when the right to abortion is attacked."
The RGF-CN chose the American consulate after a leaked Supreme Court memo in early May showed the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling affirming the right to abortion will soon be overturned.
The Quebec group wants to ensure similar sentiments don't migrate north of the border.
"We want to counteract the influence that such a decision could have in Canada," said Landriault-Dupont. "And although there are many attacks on this right here as well, it is important to remember that case law clearly establishes the legitimacy of the right to abortion in Canada."
The group points to wait times, restrictive laws in some provinces, travel distances and unequal access based on residence as issues many women in Canada have accessing safe abortions.
"In the Capitale-Nationale region, there is only one clinic to serve the entire population," the release reads. "The waiting time for an appointment can be as long as four or five weeks. In addition, in Quebec, the non-surgical method (abortion pill) is not easily accessible: waiting times and restrictions imposed by the Collège des médecins du Québec limit its use. 61 per cent of Quebec women are not aware of this option."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.