LILLEY: American abortion fight soon to become an issue for Trudeau

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The primary I heard of the American Supreme Court docket probably overturning Roe v Wade was a Canadian politico posting on-line Monday evening about its impression right here.

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Foolish me, I believed, it doesn’t actually have an effect in Canada, no less than not legally.

Politically, that’s one other story.

I’ve by no means understood why Canadians, on both aspect of the abortion debate, obsess over Roe. The court docket resolution which caused what’s colloquially referred to as a “lady’s proper to decide on” isn’t in impact in Canada. The 1988 Morgentaler decision from Canada’s Supreme Court docket is a a lot completely different resolution, one which even invited legislators to move a brand new regulation in the event that they noticed match.

From a authorized standpoint, abortion legal guidelines and jurisprudence are very completely different on our aspect of the border.

As Warren Kinsella rightly factors out, although, politics is one other matter, and he totally expects Justin Trudeau and the Liberals to make use of what’s about to occur south of the border to their benefit right here. I’d argue with some factors in Kinsella’s column, however not his most important argument that this shall be a wedge subject that Trudeau will relish utilizing towards his Conservative opponents.

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Regardless of claims of not desirous to import “American-style politics,” the Liberals really love doing so. There is no such thing as a “lady’s proper to decide on” established in Morgentaler, however they use the American lingo. There may be little risk of abortion being banned in Canada, however they’ll drag that bogeyman north of the border for his or her political benefit.

In actual fact, Trudeau went there on Tuesday afternoon.

“The proper to decide on is a lady’s proper and a lady’s proper alone,” Trudeau tweeted. “We’ll by no means again down from defending and selling ladies’s rights in Canada and around the globe.”

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There aren’t sufficient pro-life MPs elected to move any legal guidelines proscribing abortion by means of Parliament, however that gained’t matter or be mentioned as this subject takes over our politics. Nor are there judges that may search to overturn the Morgentaler resolution, which clearly mentioned it’s as much as Parliament to determine, however that gained’t matter both.

We’re about to be handled to a black-and-white-morality play the place anybody advocating for abortion is sweet and anybody having any qualms, considerations or opposition is unhealthy.

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Canadians have nuanced views on the problem of abortion. A long time of polling has proven that whereas they don’t need abortion made unlawful, a majority of voters — together with ladies — would settle for some restrictions on when and the way abortions can happen.

For instance, a Maru poll conducted for Postmedia in February 2020 discovered that 70% of Canadians, together with 74% of ladies, consider that abortion needs to be “usually unlawful” within the final three months of being pregnant. This similar ballot discovered that overwhelmingly, the general public didn’t need abortion to be banned outright.

There have been a number of polls going again years exhibiting assist for regulating sex-selective abortions, which usually means a lady having an abortion to keep away from giving beginning to a woman attributable to cultural or non secular causes.

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Don’t count on to listen to these arguments made when Trudeau and his staff convey the American abortion debate to Canada.

Whereas Canadian views are nuanced on the problem of abortion, our media panorama is close to common in believing that Canada ought to stay one of many few nations on the planet with none rules on the matter.

France restricts abortion after 16 weeks’ pregnancy, Germany after 14 weeks and Italy after 12 weeks. None of those nations are run by the caricature of a Bible-thumping Deep South Republican that we are going to be handled to on our newscasts to border the talk.

In actual fact, it might be unfair to name what’s coming a debate as a result of which may imply listening to every aspect, realizing that your fellow Canadian might disagree with you however isn’t evil. What we’ll see as an alternative is polarization, division and anger all stoked by politicians searching for political acquire.

Welcome to Canadian-style politics.

blilley@postmedia.com