Impact of Roe v. Wade ruling felt in Ottawa
Impact of Roe v. Wade ruling felt in Ottawa
The impact of the Roe v. Wade ruling in the United States, allowing states to ban abortions, is being felt here in the nation’s capital.
Pro-choice organizations say Americans are already calling Canadian support lines to ask for help in gaining access to a safe abortion.
"We have seen an increase in people calling us and asking for support in finding an abortion here in Canada," said Jaisie Walker, executive director of Planned Parenthood Ottawa. "It is not only incredibly scary for them, but also impacts clinic wait times and other services in Canada that are already under resourced here as well."
Walker says an increase in those calls started after the leak of a draft opinion that indicated the United States Supreme Court was prepared to do so.
“Global research suggests that whether it is legal or illegal, people who are pregnant will still search it out,” said Margot Francis, an associate professor at Brock University’s Centre for Women and Gender Studies. “Criminalizing abortion does not decrease the number of abortions, it means they are less safe.”
In Canada, there’s no specific law around abortion and the medical procedure is legal.
"We don’t have specific laws," said Walker. "What will happen and what is already happening, is a massive impact on stigma and access."
Meanwhile, anti-abortion supporters celebrated the overturning of the Roe. v. Wade decision in the United States.
“This is amazing, this is probably the best day in American history and in my lifetime it’s incredible,” said one supporter. “Thank god for all the people who have been fighting for more than 50 years.”
Abortion was decriminalized in Canada in 1988 as a result of a landmark decision, in which the Supreme Court of Canada struck down a federal law. Since then there’s been no legislation that was ever passed to replace it.
Dozens of people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy on Sussex Drive Friday evening to protest the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional protections for abortion.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Sellers 'expecting yesterday's prices': Canadians cope with a correcting housing market
After a series of interest rate hikes implemented by the Bank of Canada, housing markets are now facing a 'significant' correction. CTVNews.ca spoke to Canadians who are now struggling to make the goal of purchasing a home, or selling one, a reality.

Power returning in Toronto after hours-long outage likely caused by crane hitting transmission line
Power is slowing coming back to Toronto's downtown core after a widespread outage caused major disruptions in the city Thursday afternoon.
U.S. Justice Dept. seeks to unseal search warrant of Trump home
The U.S. Justice Department is asking a federal court to unseal the warrant the FBI used to search the Mar-a-Lago estate of former President Donald Trump, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday, acknowledging extraordinary public interest in the case about classified records.
Armed man tries to breach FBI office, killed after standoff
An armed man who tried to breach the FBI's Cincinnati office was shot and killed by police after he fled the scene, leading to an hourlong standoff Thursday afternoon, the Ohio Highway State Patrol said.
Police investigating attack on Brampton, Ont. media personality as attempted murder
A Brampton, Ont. media personality who was attacked with a machete and axe in his driveway will need months of physical rehabilitation to recover, a close friend says.
Will you be eligible for one of Ontario's new tax credits? Here's the breakdown
The Ontario government is planning to move forward with several tax credits for residents as it formally tabled its 2022-23 budget on Tuesday.
'Devastating': Search continues for Sask. mushroom picker missing for 7 days
It’s been seven days since 74-year-old Lois Chartrand went missing while mushroom picking in the forest north of Smeaton, Sask.
Vegetarian women more likely to suffer hip fractures: study
A study out of the United Kingdom’s University of Leeds reports women who don’t eat meat are 33 per cent more likely to break their hips later in life.
CDC ends recommendations for social distancing and quarantine for COVID-19 control, no longer recommends test-to-stay in schools
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the nation should move away from restrictive measures such as quarantines and social distancing and focus on reducing severe disease from COVID-19.