Kudos to Canada for bestowing the country's highest public award -- the Order of Canada -- on abortion rights activist Dr Henry Morgentaler!
That said, what Twisty says is also true:
Great Scott! Canada has handed out a big gold loving cup to a dude abortion rights activist! That’s right. Dr Henry Morgentaler, pioneer abortion provider, gallops home with an Order of Canada, the government’s top civilian award. As the Guardian’s Heather McRobie points out, this is a big deal; imagine the extent to which your mind would be blown if either the US or the UK even dreamed of officially admitting that women’s abortion rights is a human rights issue, much less publicly announced that a dude who provides abortions ought to be regarded as a national hero. . .
I dunno, man. I think it demonstrates that women’s rights are still officially the purview of men. I mean, sure, yay for dudes who provide abortions in the face of antifeminist terrorism, and yay for governments that acknowledge the legitimacy of pro-choiceism, but come on. Bestowing the Order of Canada on a pro-choice man isn’t “courageous,” it’s patronizing, paternalistic, and predictable. The human status of women will always be in question as long as it remains a foregone conclusion that dudes will mete it out, take the bows, or take it away.
Patriarchy News Feminist Politics Abortion Gender Human Rights Pro Choice
