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Abortion in Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2005

ALISTER BROWNE
Affiliation:
The Department of Philosophy at Langara College; the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre; and the University of British Columbia
BILL SULLIVAN
Affiliation:
University of British Columbia, Canada

Extract

Canada is one of the few countries in the world—China is another—that has decriminalized abortion. In Canada, there are no legislative or judicial restrictions whatsoever on abortion: When, where, and under what circumstances abortions can be performed are all unregulated. In sharp contrast, abortion is generally illegal in South American and predominantly Catholic countries, as well as in African and Muslim countries. And the countries that do allow legal abortions, including most in Europe along with America, Australia, and Russia, typically permit it only up to a certain time or make it subject to circumstances such as risk to the woman. In what follows we will first explain how Canada came to decriminalize abortion and then go on to assess that position from an ethical point of view.

Type
SPECIAL SECTION: INTERNATIONAL VOICES
Copyright
© 2005 Cambridge University Press

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