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A group of concerned residents took to the streets in Vernon to bring attention to the second anniversary of Roe v. Wade being overturned, and to raise awareness for a growing movement trying to strip away women's rights in Canada.
Roe v. Wade was a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for legal abortions in the United States. It was overturned on June 24, 2022. The group walking in Vernon with signs calling for the bolstering women's rights said they’ve been seeing a growing movement trying to undermine those rights.
“We've seen, across the U.S. and in some other places around the world, that those rights are starting to be rolled back, and it's only a matter of time before it gets here,” said Sylvia Lindgren.
“You've seen what the right is doing, what the Conservative Party is campaigning on, and we're not going back there.”
Some of the group said they felt the movement was already in Canada.
“No matter what the Conservatives say publicly, they still have private members bringing forward bills, and they're not stopping them,” said Tracy Schimpf.
In May, conservative MP Arnold Viersen of Peace River—Westlock, Alberta introduced a petition to the House of Commons to "create/strengthen abortion regulation nationwide".
One marcher, Tammie Koroluk said the laws in some U.S. states not only impact women, but healthcare professionals as well. She said medical professionals and OBGYN’s are leaving certain states “in droves”, which impacts the healthcare women can access, including cancer treatment and pregnancy care.
“We feel that we have so far to go in women's health as it is, and this is clearly a step back,” said Koroluk.
The group says they’re out as part of a national movement named Women’s Strike 2024 - Canada. According to a Facebook group, the strike is a pro-choice rally to show Members of Parliament that “WE WILL NEVER LET THEM HAVE AGENCY OVER OUR BODIES.”
“We are standing in solidarity with our American Sisters in the fight to maintain and regain autonomy over our own bodies," reads the description of the Women's Strike Facebook page.
Similar marches are supposed to be taking place across the country. The Vernon group said they've heard people in both Kelowna and Vancouver plan to march today.
Abortion access in Canada was decided by the 1988 Supreme Court decision, R. v. Morgentaler. The decision found that the abortion provision in the criminal code, which found abortions unlawful unless a woman’s life or health was endangered, was unconstitutional as it violated women's right to security of person.
