AbortionInCanada.ca

Welcome to AbortionInCanada.ca

We created this site to mark the 20th anniversary of unrestricted legal abortion in Canada.

On January 28, 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down all legal restrictions on abortion. That means that abortion is allowed throughout all nine months of pregnancy. There are provincial guidelines throughout the country on how and when abortions may be performed, but they do not have the force of law.

This site examines the effect and outcomes of the lack of a law on abortion. You will find statistics on abortion from government sources, health effects from studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals, information on methods of abortion, funding, historical information and a great deal more. We will continue to add to the site over the coming months.

In 1987, there were 67,343 abortions performed in Canada according to Statistics Canada. In 1988, after all legal restrictions were removed, that number increased to 70,868. By 2004, there were 100,763 reported by Statistics Canada. The agency points out that when the law was struck down, so were reporting requirements so our database is not complete and only captures about 90% of the total, according to Statistics Canada’s estimate. In addition, we do not have detailed records on the women who have abortions or the gestational age of the babies aborted.

Repeat abortions account for roughly 40% of all abortions performed. Women do not need a medical reason to obtain an abortion and almost all abortions performed in Canada are paid for by taxpayers. Many women suffer physical and psychological health problems following abortion.

Our examination of the information about abortion, leads us to ask “Abortion: Have we gone too far?” We invite you to read the material on this site and answer that question for yourself.

We welcome your comments and questions.