by Henry Morgentaler

About the author: Henry Morgentaler is a longtime advocate of abortion rights. He opened Canada’s first abortion clinic in 1968 and was tried four times on charges of providing illegal abortions. His 1973 acquittal by a jury was overturned by the Court of Appeal of Quebec and upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada. Canada’s House of Commons subsequently passed the Morgentaler Amendment, making it unconstitutional to overturn a jury acquittal. Morgentaler is also the author of Abortion and Contraception.

This is a very appropriate time for me to write on “The Moral Case for Abortion.” Many people in the pro-choice community believe that the battle for reproductive freedom has been won, that abortion is now available, that women have gained control over their reproductive capacities and have been liberated from the repressive rulings...