By Sam Bennison

Politics

Prince George rally marks two year anniversary of Roe V. Wade

Jun 25, 2024 | 4:01 PM

PRINCE GEORGE—Dozens of people gathered outside City Hall on Monday (June 24) to mark the two-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe V. Wade, the court case that protected abortion access in the United States. One of the organizers of the event is calling on the government to uphold abortion health care and put an end to gender-based violence.

“It’s important for us to gather today in solidarity with our American sisters who have lost their rights to bodily autonomy,” says Gillian Johnston an organizer for Women’s Strike Prince George. “The problem with not having access to abortion is that people can die, right? It can cause incredible complications for the woman that can end in her death, or incredible bodily harm.”

In a Facebook post for the event the organizers state that “many of our BC MPs are constantly petitioning to have women stripped of our rights to not become mothers and birthers? (Locally that means Todd Doherty of Cariboo-Prince George and Bob Zimmer of Prince George-Peace River-Norther Rockies.)”

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CKPG News reached out to both MP Todd Doherty and MP Bob Zimmer. While MP Zimmer did not provide a statement MP Doherty did.

The statements made about MP Doherty on the Prince George Women’s Strike 2024 Facebook page are unequivocally false. He has never “petitioned to have women stripped of their rights”. Such allegations are harmful and dishonest. A common sense Conservative government under Pierre Poilievre will never legislate on abortion, as the leader has stated publicly several times.

MP Todd Doherty’s statement on Women’s Strike Prince George

Despite the statement MP Doherty has voted in favour to multiple bills that would restrict abortion access including Bill C-225 in 2016, Bill C-233 in 2020 and most recently Bill C-311 in January 2023 which critics argue would give a fetus personhood.

“The idea of Bill C-311 was that, in the event that a pregnant woman was assaulted, it would be more aggravated assault because she is pregnant and you’re also harming the fetus, which gives the fetus rights as a person,” ” explains Gillian Johnston. “Then you can say you can’t have an abortion because you’re harming another person right? So, it gives it personhood. It’s already aggravated assault in Canada to assault a pregnant person.”

Johnston goes on to say that by developing fetal rights the Conservative party can restrict abortion without legislating on it.

“They don’t have to legislate on abortion if they make issues around it Impossible for abortions to happen,” continues Johnston

Despite concerns about the future of abortion rights in Canada, there are currently no bills in Ottawa that would restrict access to abortion.

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Email: sam.bennison@pattisonmedia.com