In light of what’s happening south of our border, it is high time that Canada put body autonomy into our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and if we’re looking to change the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, let’s also change the Canadian Human Rights Act because banning a woman from seeking an abortion should be against her human rights.  It’s time for Canada to stand up and support its women and it’s time for the Canadian government to recognize, officially, women as persons with all rights that male persons currently enjoy without having to fight for them.  

Canadians please reach out to your local MP (federal representative).  Make them aware that the situation in the United States is NOT one that is acceptable in Canada.  Let them know that it's time for Canada to entrench women's body autonomy and all other rights to make decisions over their own body into law here in Canada.  You can also sign this petition and help send a message to our government.  They don't know what we want if we don't tell them.  

Women everywhere watched in horror a few years ago during the first Trump administration as the United States Supreme Court ruled to reverse the Roe v Wade decision made in the early 70s.  That decision had given women in the US the right to access abortions without persecution.  Despite the fact that they are supposed to be impartial (justice being blind after all), the US Supreme Court took away the right of women in the US to have autonomy over their own bodies.  A country that touts its "freedom" line all over the place took away women's freedom to decide what is right for their own body.  

Why, in this day and age, should a bunch of men be allowed to decide what rights a woman has, especially when it comes to her own body?  If the government forces women to have babies they don’t want or can’t have for a variety of reasons, will the government be there to ensure the babies don’t grow up in poverty or worse?  In the US, apparently a 12-year-old who has been molested by a male family member is too young to consent to sex, but not too young to have a baby.  That child is neither mature enough in mind nor body to have a baby, but the US government would make her do it anyway.  

The new Trump administration is taking steps to take away even more rights and protections from women.  DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN IN CANADA!  It is vital that Canada recognize that women are persons and have all the same rights as men, especially in body autonomy.  Let's stop gender bias and get this embedded in our rights now.