Despite a low turnout, yesterday’s International Women’s Day event held at the Law Society sparked interesting and passionate debate. The event began with a panel discussion on abortion, with lawyers, policy makers, health professionals, and activists adding their voices to the issue. A key concern in the discussion was that immigrant, rural, Aboriginal, and minority women have less access to abortion than other Canadian women.
The panel was followed by a reception with a keynote address from Professor Constance Backhouse. Backhouse noted that this era has been referred to as “post-feminist” – a time in which women don’t want to call themselves feminists (which might explain the low turnout for the event). The theme of her talk echoed that of the panel – women still face serious inequality both locally and globally and the struggle for true equality must continue.
If you’re feeling non-complacent, consider a donation to Canadians for Choice or Amnesty International, two groups represented at the event.