General
Abortion Rights Issue Surfaces in Canada Before U.S. Election
The Canadian government proposed legislation this week to crack down on anti-abortion organizations that provide “dishonest counseling” to pregnant women.
When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the House of Commons this week regarding abortion rights, he also had a message for his daughter, who was seated in the gallery.
An anti-abortion rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in May.Credit…Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press
“I want her to hear me as long as everyone else does,” Mr. Trudeau said. “This government is unequivocally pro-choice. We will always defend a woman’s right to choose.”
Mr. Trudeau’s Liberal Party on Tuesday revisited a 2021 campaign promise to penalize anti-abortion organizations that it said provided “dishonest counseling” to pregnant women.
As the prime minister has been fending off calls to step down as leader from members of his own party, the timing of the announcement was notable.
It came one week before voters will choose the next president of the United States, where views on women’s reproductive rights have animated the race before Election Day on Nov. 5.
