Alberta officials react to U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn abortion law

Alberta politicians are taking a close look at abortion rights after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last week.

The decision sparked protests across the United States over the weekend, with groups both for and against the landmark ruling speaking out. It also forced many people on this side of the border to examine what laws are in place in Canada.

Leela Aheer, UCP MLA for Chestermere-Strathmore, says women’s rights should be protected.

“We, as elected officials, must protect women’s rights locally, nationally, and internationally,” Aheer said. “Women’s social and political circumstances are intimately connected to their ability to access sexual and reproductive health services.”

She adds the overturning of abortion rights in the U.S. undermines choice and the ability to get support.

Conversely, Arnold Viersen, Conservative Member of Parliament for Peace River-Westlock, celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and says in his opinion, abortion rights are a violation of human rights.

“The fight for pre-born human rights is not over, it now moves to the individual states,” Viersen said.

Alberta’s Associate Minister of Status of Women, Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk, says in a statement to CityNews on Friday Roe v. Wade being overturned in the United States is the “decision of a foreign court that does not apply to Canada.”

“The legal status of abortion in Canada falls strictly within federal jurisdiction. There has been no change in policy in our province and none is proposed,” Armstrong-Homeniuk said.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — which legally protected abortions in America for nearly 50 years — means states can now make their own laws around abortion, something several states have already done.

READ MORE:

• A ‘sucker punch’: Some women fear setback to hard-won rights

• Abortion foes, supporters map next moves after Roe reversal

• Roe v. Wade: Canadians should never take their rights for granted, says professor

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among those to strongly denounce the move, calling the ruling “horrific,” adding his heart “goes out to the millions of American women who are now set to lose their legal right to an abortion.”

In Canada, abortion is regulated like any other medical service and already falls under provincial authority.

–With files from Lucas Casaletto and The Associated Press