W00t! Still standing up for our rights!:
"Abortion provider Dr. Henry Morgentaler has the legal right to challenge the New Brunswick government's policy on abortion funding, a judge has ruled.Morgentaler is trying to force the government to pay for abortions done at his private Fredericton clinic. Currently, women pay the $750 fee themselves, while the province only pays for abortions approved by two physicians and performed at an approved hospital."
Niiiiiiice, it sounds like New Brunswick has something reminiscent of the old "therapeutic abortion committees" that existed nationwide prior to R. v. Morgentaler. What travesties: before being "approved" for an abortion, women would have to plead their case before "committees" (usually men, and often stacked with anti-choicers), a humiliating process that just added to the gestation time of the pregnancy. Talk about the Dark Ages.
"In a decision made public this week, New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench Judge Paulette Garnett rejected the province's argument, saying Morgentaler has the legal right to take the case to court."
Where he'll hopefully win.
Some oppose funding the Morgentaler clinics (and other womens' health clinics that perform abortions) because they're private clinics, not hospitals. But this argument falls flat on its face right out of the gate because it conveniently overlooks the fact that most medical practices are private businesses that bill the Ministry of Health for their services. The Morgentaler clinics are no different from any other ob-gyn clinic in that respect. As long as we have a healthcare system that funds medical procedures, there's no non-ideological reason to oppose funding for this one.
Go Dr. Henry! (And as always, thanks.)
(h/t: birth pangs)
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