Canada: Abortion Rights Pioneer Morgentaler Named Member of Order of Canada

The Vancouver Sun: Honour for Morgentaler outrages abortion foes, by Cassandra Drudi:

Dr. Henry Morgentaler was named a member of the Order of Canada on Tuesday, an appointment that threw fuel on the bitter abortion debate and was slammed by one of the highest-ranking members of the Catholic Church as debasing the award.

Morgentaler's name is reflected in the landmark decision, R. v. Morgentaler, that legalized abortion in Canada.  See: Canada: Access to abortion still limited 20 years after landmark ruling.  Morgentaler is a Polish-born physician and a Holocaust survivor. More from the Vancouver Sun:

Almost single-handedly, Morgentaler pushed abortion rights on to the national agenda when he opened an illegal abortion clinic in Montreal in 1969. At one point, he was jailed for 10 months when a lower court acquittal was overturned by a higher court. The issue culminated in a landmark ruling in 1988 in which the Supreme Court struck down anti-abortion provisions of the Criminal Code on the grounds they violate a woman's constitutional right to "security of person."

See also: Canadian Press: Morgentaler proud to 'finally' receive Order of Cda, says Cda set global example