A
Abortion
Definition Medical termination of pregnancy
Abortion has been practiced by women of most cultural
groups throughout histor y, typically assisted by midwives
and traditional medical practitioners. In 1990’s North
America, women’s health needs were assisted by formally
trained medical specialists, informed by national and state
(or provincial) laws, which regulated pregnancy termina-
tions. This time period was a turbulent one for women’s
health rights, abortion law, and medical practice.
The abortion debate in North America is typically
briefly summarized as conflict between two compet-
ing groups: the proabortion, atheist faction, sup-
porting the rights of the mother over the rights of
the child, and the antiabortion, fundamentalist
bloc, believing in the primacy of the child’s life over
that of the mother’s well-being. In actuality, the situ-
ation is much more complex, with nuances in moral
values, scientific understanding, and personal be-
liefs affecting the stances of individuals affiliated
with both camps. Generally, members of the pro-
abortion groups are keen to diminish the number of
pregnancy terminations, often through the pro-
vision of education and birth control, while main-
taining a stance that is highly supportive of a
woman’s right to decide on an abortion.
Abortion has been legal for Canadians since a Su-
preme Court of Canada decision in 1988, and for
Americans since the well-known case ofRoe v. Wade
in 1973. However, in both nations, a woman’s ability
to obtain an abortion has often depended on factors
such as geographic proximity to a clinic, access to in-
formation, and income.
During the 1990’s, there were a number of promi-
nent American court cases and government acts ad-
dressing abortion, while the political situation was
more static in Canada, with fewer significant legal
challenges or legislative amendments. The decade
was also characterized by high levels of violence in
both nations toward medical providers of pregnancy
terminations, resulting in record numbers of deaths
and injuries.
Legal Changes The 1990’s was characterized by
worldwide liberalization of abortion laws, compared
with the previous decade. Generally, liberalization
in attitudes also prevailed in Canada, with some legal
amendments, resulting in new abortion clinics and
increased access for women in historically under-
served regions of the country. The situation was
slightly different in the United States, with a number
of important legal challenges to abortion rights up-
held by the courts. Several cases, includingOhio v.
Akron Center for Reproductive Health (1990) and
Hodgson v. Minnesota(1990), resulted in parental no-
tification requirements for minors. In Rust v.
Sullivan(1991), the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the
“gag rule,” which prevented federally funded (spe-
cifically Title X) family-planning services from pro-
viding abortion information. The gag rule contin-
ued until 1993, when President Bill Clinton passed
legislation reversing the ruling, which was later rein-
stated by President George W. Bush in 2001. An-
other important case was that ofPlanned Parenthood
v. Casey(1992), in which the Court upheld four of
five provisions restricting access to abortion but
maintained a woman’s right to the procedure.
Violence The 1980’s had been characterized by
dozens of bombing and arson attacks on abortion
clinics. The levels of violence escalated during the
1990’s. Legal abortion provision became personally
risky for medical providers. Four doctors, two recep-
tionists, a volunteer, and a police officer were mur-
dered in the United States, and a nurse was perma-
nently disabled by antiabortion militants. The
bloodshed spilled over into Canada, with several
doctors shot, although they were more fortunate
than their U.S. counterparts and survived the attacks.
In an attempt to curb this violence against clinic
workers, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances
Act (FACE) was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1994.
This law provided arrest provisions and penalties for