The Big Story Weekend Listen: Before Morgentaler Part One: Law Breakers
Mar 7, 2026
Carolyn Egan, longtime Toronto organizer and abortion-rights activist, recalls grassroots networks and direct actions before the Morgentaler ruling. She discusses cross-border travel for care, setting up clinics with Morgentaler, mass mobilizations, and the legal fight that led to decriminalization. The conversation also touches on post-ruling backlash and ongoing access gaps.
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How Canada's Old Law Controlled Access
- Canada's 1969 law allowed abortion only in hospitals after male-dominated Therapeutic Abortion Committees approved it, leaving most people blocked from care.
- The 1988 Supreme Court in R v. Morgentaler struck that law down as a violation of security of the person under Section 7 of the Charter.
Toronto Counselors Helping People Cross The Border
- Sherry Krieger and Sandy Fainer described working as Toronto abortion counsellors who helped people access illegal and cross-border abortions in the 1970s and 80s.
- They coordinated travel to U.S. clinics, coached people on what to say at the border, and ran a Birth Control and VD Information Center to support those without sympathetic doctors.
Clinic Care Felt More Personal Than Hospital D&Cs
- Karen, a nurse at the Morgentaler Clinic, contrasted impersonal hospital D&Cs with clinic care that used conscious sedation and nurse support.
- She said clinics offered coaching through the procedure, making the experience more personal and less isolating.