The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that Canada will allow American women to travel to the country for access to abortions.
The move comes just days after the US Supreme Court ruled that individual US states would be allowed to put in place their own rules regarding abortion. This means that around half the states in the US will likely ban the practice, leaving tens-of-millions of women without access and forced to carry and raise unwanted children.
Trudeau said the US Supreme Court decision was ‘horrific’ and added that he thought it now possible the states would roll back other rights, such as the right to gay marriage.
The Prime Minister said:
“We know that this is an extremely, not just scary, but disheartening time for so many women. Women for generations have fought for more rights in the United States, (only) to see this setback, to worry as well about how this can be expanded to more rights be taken away in the United States. This is a reminder of how we need to be unequivocal in our defence of people’s rights, in not taking anything for granted, in staying vigilant, and always standing up for woman’s rights, for LBGT rights, for the rights of people who are disenfranchised and marginalized.”
When asked if this meant American women could travel to Canada for abortions he said:
“Everyday Americans who find themselves in Canada access our health care system in Canada and that’s certainly something that will continue.”
Adding:
p>“We have a commitment in Canada to ensure, first of all, that every women has full, safe legal access to the full suite of sexual health and reproductive services, including safe and legal abortions and we’ve been working hard to increase access to women across the country.”
There have also been suggestions that some US states will attempt to prosecute women who leave their own state to access an abortion or that women who are pregnant may be banned from leaving the state and have their right to freedom of movement revoked.
Women who have abortions may find themselves on trail for murder in some states.
[Based on reporting by: Huffington Post]
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