The Vancouver Women's Caucus

The history of the pro-choice movement in Canada was given a considerable boost by the Vancouver Women's Caucus. This year is the 40th anniversary of that event.

In 1970, a group of independent feminists, organized political opposition to Section 251 of the Canadian Criminal Code that banned contraception and abortion of any kind. In 1969, Parliament passed several amendments to Section 251 that decriminalized contraception, and allowed some abortions under extremely restricted conditions. Also in 1969, Dr. Henry Morgentaler defies section 251 and performs abortions in his medical practice in Quebec. In June 1970, Morgentaler's office is raided by the police and he is charged with conspiracy to perform an abortion.

Canadian women felt that the amendments to Section 251 were insufficient to support their reproductive rights and unevenly distributed and enforced to be considered a solution. So in May of 1970, the Vancouver Women's Caucus organized the Abortion Caravan, the first national feminist pro-choice protest. Women traveled over 3,000 miles from Vancouver to Ottawa, gathering numbers as they go. In Ottawa, the Abortion Caravan, now 500 women strong, held two days of demonstrations. Thirty women chained themselves to the parliamentary gallery in the House of Commons, closing Parliament for the first time in Canadian history.

In 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada strikes down Canada's abortion law as unconstitutional. The law is found to violate section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms because it infringes upon a woman's right to life, liberty, and security of the person.

Despite that ruling, hundreds of protests and acts of violence at the emerging number of Pro-Choice Action Network of abortion clinics continue to make abortion difficult to obtain for most Canadian women.

Today, Canadian women in most major centres have access to abortion. Medicare pays for abortion in hospitals, but some provinces refuse to pay for abortions in clinics. Rural women in particular still have difficulties with access.

ProQuest has created a BookCart learning activity to help teachers provide students with a one-stop research method to learn more about the history of the Pro-Choice movement in Canada—"Pro-Choice Movement in Canada."

This BookCart includes student directions and essential questions that help students develop 21st Century critical thinking skills. You won't find this combination of inquiry-based learning activity support in one place in any other K-12 resource, including a variety of editor-selected resources, and ProQuest links to both presentation and written report models that student can use to successfully complete this inquiry-based learning activity.

BookCart learning activities save teachers and students time from searching and reinvest it in more time for critical thinking, writing, and presentation—21st Century Skills.

Teachers or librarians can copy "Pro-Choice Movement in Canada" and any other BookCart learning activity from the Canadian or U.S. curriculum area BookCart collections by using the following procedure:

• Logon to the eLibrary Canada or eLibrary Canada CE TEACHER EDITION.
• Click the BOOKCART ADMIN link at the top of the Teacher Edition.
• Click the PROQUEST CARTS tab.
• Scroll down the folder list on the left and click CANADIAN BOOKCARTS.
• Scroll down/page down to find "Pro-Choice Movement in Canada."
• Click the COPY icon (middle one) in the ACTIONS column to the right of this title.
• Click RETURN TO MY LOCAL CARTS.

To edit this BookCart for your students to use:

• Click the first new BookCart Title with the prefix "COPY OF".
• Delete "Copy of" and then type your name in the AUTHOR boxes and your initials in EMAIL.
• Optional: Edit or type any additional ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS in the DESCRIPTION box.
• Optional: Edit the existing STUDENT DIRECTIONS in the Description box.
• Scroll down and click SAVE.
• Click RETURN TO MY LOCAL CARTS.

Assign students to write a report of at least 150 words or a presentation of at least seven slides that cites at least three resources on the Pro-Choice movement in Canada.

Students should use the pathfinder listed below to save time and ensure the best and most relevant results. Students should address the following essential questions for critical inquiry (you may add or substitute others):

• What are the arguments for the Pro-Choice supporters?
  
  
• What are the arguments for the Pro-Life/anti-abortion position?
  
  
• Which position do you support and why?
  
  
• What amendments to the present law would you recommend and why?

Select Advanced Search > Check Canadian Sources Only > Type "Abortion" in the Search box > Enter "Abortion OR Pro-Choice" in the Document Title box

Your students can use our custom ProQuest models for written and PowerPoint-style reports.

Teachers may be interested in a ProQuest flexible rubrics model for evaluating inquiry-based learning activities.

Educators may also wish to employ the Quizinator Web tool (free, but registration required) for creating a variety of printed resources, including short assessments.