Women Strike for Reproductive Rights, against Gender Violence

Forty-five people, predominantly women, gathered at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in Victoria on the second “anniversary” of Roe v. Wade being overturned in the US, as a grim reminder that even longstanding precedents cannot be taken for granted.

This humble rally was being held as part of a national day of action which spurred such demonstrations in 32 cities from coast to coast. The rally in Victoria at least was an ad-hoc event put together by unaffiliated volunteers, who did well to gather this many people with little organisation.

Roe v. Wade set a precedent in 1973 by guaranteeing the right to an abortion under the US Constitution, and since then had come under relentless assault by the pro-life movement, whose main strategy was to stack the Supreme Court of the United States with conservative judges that would deliver the killing blow. This materialised with Dobbs v. Jackson in 2022 under the Trump administration, overturning a nearly five-decade precedent, which is an aberration in the judicial system.

Access to abortion in Canada may not be similarly threatened, but the pro-life movement persists nonetheless. Every year a March For Life is held in May in this city and attracts hundreds clamouring to roll back the clock. That being said, public opinion leans so heavily against a reversal that even Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives dare not campaign in this direction. The last time Parliament debated the issue was under Stephen Harper, who himself went against the motion.

The organisers also denounced violence against women, especially as that afflicting indigenous women and girls keeps making headlines. Sexual violence against women in particular is so prevalent that it sparked the #metoo movement in 2006, during which millions of victims worldwide came out and shared their personal experiences online.