Canadian Abortion Rights Activist: Norma Scarborough

By OBOS — April 19, 2010

From 2009 – 2011, Our Bodies Ourselves honored the work of women’s health advocates worldwide by asking readers to nominate their favorite women’s health hero. View all nominees by year: 2009, 2010, 2011

Entrant: Christine Marton

Nominee: Norma Scarborough, Canadian Association to Repeal the Abortion Law founding member

Norma Scarborough was instrumental to the fight for abortion rights in Canada. I did not know her personally, and she is no longer with us, but I think the testimonial from Judy Rebick, herself an abortion activist, is very moving.

More about Norma from Science Notes, originally published June 2, 2009:

Norma Scarborough, was the sensible soul of the pro-choice movement in Canada, died April 2. A mother of five children, she had compassion and a helping hand for the unwillingly pregnant. She was a founding member of CARAL and its president for several very important years, 1984 – 92. Thus she was of of the people supporting Dr. Henry Morgentaler in his struggle to bring safe, legal abortion to Canadian women.  In January of 1988 Canada’s Supreme Court struck down the criminal law on abortion because it violated women’s right to life, liberty, and security of the person. In other words, the law coerced women and put them in danger.

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