Burnaby MLA recounts difficult path to legal abortions in B.C.

Abortion was legalized in Canada in 1969; however that was only the start of what some call “a long road” to accessible abortions for women in B.C.

Burnaby North MLA Janet Routledge says it doesn’t feel like very long ago that she was helping to set up Vancouver’s Everywoman’s Health Centre to provide abortions in the 80s. A time when Canadian women were just starting to have the option to choose for themselves and decide what they wanted to do with their own bodies.

“We had protests every day, the staff had to search the washrooms for bombs, those of us on the board were encouraged to look under our cars for bombs, we had meetings where we discussed how to talk the doctors into wearing Kevlar vests to save their lives,” Routledge told CityNews.

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Although abortion was legalized in Canada in 1969, they were only limited to instances when a woman’s life was determined to be at risk. It wasn’t until 1988 that women were given the option to choose to have an abortion, treating it like other healthcare procedures.

The 1988 amendment caused protests and outrage amongst many, leading to problems for health care providers and women looking to get abortions.

“One of our doctors was actually shot through his kitchen window by a sniper.” Routledge recounted.

Sarah Elder-Chamanara is the founder of Madame Premier, and she says although abortions have been legal for some time in Canada, people still must speak up for the right to choice.

“There are definitely anti-choice politicians across the country right now who see this as a green light for them to act as a larger capacity to petition to limit abortion rights here in Canada, anyone who thinks this won’t affect them here in Canada is simply being naïve,” Chamanara said.

She recounts the protests at abortion facilities from a young age, something Routledge says added to the barrier for people seeking abortions.

“One of the things that calmed things down in the 90s was the NDP government was the first government in the country to pass bubble zone laws, so that it became illegal for people to chain themselves to doors or spit on clients. I used to be part of human shields to protect clients from what was a legal service.”