Cold temperatures and pouring rain did not deter more than 30 Pro-Choice demonstrators from turning out Saturday, April 26th for a rally in Place Emile Gamelin.
The rally was just one of many actions held across Canada the same day in solidarity with New Brunswick Pro-Choice, where the Morgentaler abortion clinic in Fredericton was forced to close its doors April 10th due to lack of government funding.
In these highlights from the demo, recorded by CKUT’s Susan Fitch, we’re going to hear first the Reproductive Justice League Choir, then the Centre for Gender Advocacy’s Julie Michaud leading the chants, followed by words from her centre colleague Bianca Mugyenyi.
We close our report with an edited version of the keynote speech, looking at abortion as a democracy issue affecting all Canadians. It was read by Montreal choice activist Lisa Sproull, and written by University of New Brunswick professor Kathleen Pye, who was a counseling volunteer at the Morgentaler clinic. Says Pye, “This [abortion] isn’t a women’s only issue. This is a social issue.”
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