Pro-Choice Action Network
Encyclopedia
The Pro-Choice Action Network is a Canadian
pro-choice
advocacy group
based in Vancouver
, British Columbia
. Founded in 1987 as the BC Coalition for Abortion Clinics, the group changed to its current name in 1998. It began publishing a quarterly
newsletter
, The Pro-Choice Press, in 1995. Pro-CAN is the largest and longest-established pro-choice organization in British Columbia. In November 1988, it successfully opened Everywoman's Health Centre. Many groups including women's health groups, the labour movement, the United Church, Student groups, and health care professionals supported Pro-CAN's initiative to open Everywoman's Health Centre. This successful opening is of notable importance because at that time, it was illegal for free-standing clinics to offer abortion services.
1892 – Parliament enacts the first criminal code, which prohibits abortion and the sale, distribution and advertisement of birth contraception
1926 to 1947 – 4,000 to 6,000 Canadian women die as a result of bungled illegal abortions
1969-Parliament passes amendments to section 251 of the Criminal Code allowing some abortions under very restricted conditions and decriminalizing abortion. Some Canadian provinces refuse to provide abortion services and these services were generally unavailable to women living outside of major cities.
1970- The Vancouver Women's Caucus chain themselves to the Parliament Gallery in the House of Commons, closing Canadian Parliament for the first time in Canada's history.
1974-The Canadian Abortion Rights Action League is founded and becomes the first national group to promote abortion rights in Canada.
1987- The BC Coalition for Abortion clinics is founded
1990-The House of Commons passes bill C-43, which prohibits abortion unless the physician views the pregnancy as a threat to the woman's physical, mental, or psychological health; It is defeated in a vote by the Senate and abortion is now viewed and treated just as any other normal medical procedure.
Present-Canadian women in the majority of major cities have the right to and access to an abortion. Women living in rural areas are still having issues with access to abortions. Medicare now covers abortions in hospitals, but several provinces still refuse to provide abortion services in clinics.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
advocacy group
Advocacy group
Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems...
based in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Founded in 1987 as the BC Coalition for Abortion Clinics, the group changed to its current name in 1998. It began publishing a quarterly
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
newsletter
Newsletter
A newsletter is a regularly distributed publication generally about one main topic that is of interest to its subscribers. Newspapers and leaflets are types of newsletters. Additionally, newsletters delivered electronically via email have gained rapid acceptance for the same reasons email in...
, The Pro-Choice Press, in 1995. Pro-CAN is the largest and longest-established pro-choice organization in British Columbia. In November 1988, it successfully opened Everywoman's Health Centre. Many groups including women's health groups, the labour movement, the United Church, Student groups, and health care professionals supported Pro-CAN's initiative to open Everywoman's Health Centre. This successful opening is of notable importance because at that time, it was illegal for free-standing clinics to offer abortion services.
Lobbying and advocating
Pro-CAN lobbies and advocates for:- the availability of safe, affordable, and effective contraception, and comprehensive sex education in schools;
- the government fully funding all health services relating to reproductive health in community-based clinics and hospitals, inclusive of surgical and medical abortion services;
- the defeat of any law that criminalizes abortion or impedes a woman's individual right to choice and access to abortion services;
- protection and enforcement of the Access to Abortion Services Act and women's safe access to abortion services in an atmosphere of dignity and respect;
- the principles of the Canada Health Act of May 1998, and
- provision for universal access to abortion in all regions of Canada and federal guarantee of their access.
History of abortion in Canada
1869 – abortion is made illegal in Canada. Dissemination about birth control is also made illegal.1892 – Parliament enacts the first criminal code, which prohibits abortion and the sale, distribution and advertisement of birth contraception
1926 to 1947 – 4,000 to 6,000 Canadian women die as a result of bungled illegal abortions
1969-Parliament passes amendments to section 251 of the Criminal Code allowing some abortions under very restricted conditions and decriminalizing abortion. Some Canadian provinces refuse to provide abortion services and these services were generally unavailable to women living outside of major cities.
1970- The Vancouver Women's Caucus chain themselves to the Parliament Gallery in the House of Commons, closing Canadian Parliament for the first time in Canada's history.
1974-The Canadian Abortion Rights Action League is founded and becomes the first national group to promote abortion rights in Canada.
1987- The BC Coalition for Abortion clinics is founded
1990-The House of Commons passes bill C-43, which prohibits abortion unless the physician views the pregnancy as a threat to the woman's physical, mental, or psychological health; It is defeated in a vote by the Senate and abortion is now viewed and treated just as any other normal medical procedure.
Present-Canadian women in the majority of major cities have the right to and access to an abortion. Women living in rural areas are still having issues with access to abortions. Medicare now covers abortions in hospitals, but several provinces still refuse to provide abortion services in clinics.