Women and Abortion in English Canada: Public Debates And
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WOMEN AND ABORTION IN ENGLISH CANADA: PUBLIC DEBATES AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, 1959-70 SHANNON LEA STETTNER A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN HISTORY YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO NOVEMBER 2011 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-88709-7 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-88709-7 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distrbute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. 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Canada ABSTRACT This dissertation seeks to uncover women's voices on abortion and analyse their construction of authority over the issue in different sites - in the media, in a government initiated investigation, and in political activism. Each of these sites was within the public sphere, although they were public to different degrees and in different ways. I employ a broad definition of "political" to include the personal and to argue that women spoke out with relevance and authority on the issue of abortion between 1959 and 1970, contributing to this critical decade of abortion law reform. I first look at women's engagement with print media through their letters to the editors of Chatelaine magazine, the Globe and Mail, and the United Church Observer. I then look at women's participation in a forum created by the government, the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada, which was a uniquely female space because of its focus and largely female composition. Drawing primarily on their experiences - personal, familial, professional, educational, and political - women with diverse views outlined their ideas, through letters and briefs, of what an abortion law should look like. These forums were created by others for women's participation, whereas the final space, one of civic engagement, was a political space fashioned by the women themselves. Rather than viewing the Abortion Caravan as the beginning of women's political participation on the issue of abortion, it is seen here as a culmination of a decade of advocacy. In the eleven years before the Caravan, women made their voices heard on abortion and advocated, to varying degrees, for the place of women in the public abortion debates. While the women of the Caravan represent an important transition iv from mainstream to radical protest, signalling their rejection of state (in)action on abortion, there are important continuities in terms of how they constructed authority over the issue. This dissertation, then, recovers women's voices, defines them as political even when they may not have been politically powerful in the conventional sense, and proves that women were active participants in the public debates on abortion during the long 1960s. v DEDICATION For every woman who has ever raised a pen, a placard, a fist, her voice in the fight for reproductive autonomy, thank you. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Finishing a dissertation is a solitary endeavour with long hours spent researching, writing, revising, revising some more, and then revising once again. And yet it is an undertaking that depends on the generosity of others. My greatest professional debt is to my supervisory committee. Bettina Bradbury, a committee member since the beginning, became my advisor later in the process. Her support has been instrumental to my success. Bettina, I feel like you threw me a lifeline at the exact moment I needed it and it made all the difference. My gratitude is boundless. Marc Stein, I appreciate your perseverance even when I gave you little reason to believe an end would come. For the countless hours you invested into my prose, for your thoughtful, constructive, and challenging comments, I thank you. Kathryn McPherson was a late, but fitting, addition to my committee. Kate, I am grateful for your insights and encouragement, both far more important to me than you probably even realize. My deepest regret is that my advisor, Georgina Feldberg is no longer here - not just to see this project completed, but because her absence makes the world a dimmer place. Gina lived the last four years of her life with tremendous courage and remarkable generosity and I am better for having known her. To my external examiners, Barbara Freeman and Shelley A. M. Gavigan, my defence was more than I ever could have hoped for. Your questions were intellectually invigorating, and your insights and advice graciously offered and generous in spirit. It was the perfect way to end a very long road. vii To the women I interviewed, it is largely because of you that I finished this project. I am grateful for your generosity, candour, and your commitment to social justice. My research benefitted as well from my association with the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics, and especially the assistance of Carolyn Egan. I am thankful to countless librarians and archivists, for the research assistance of Gloria Chou, and to the Ontario Graduate Scholarship program. From the York history department, Jean Levy, Karen Dancy, and, especially, Lisa Hoffman have been helpful beyond words. It somehow feels fitting to mention the history teachers and historians who have ignited and shared my love of history. From high school, through four degrees at three universities, the list includes: May Angela Vankoughnett, Ric Koskela, Sherry Freund, and John Powell; Robert Gellately, Gary Owens, and Jack Blocker; Wendy Mitchinson, who graciously read several of the earlier drafts of my dissertation when Gina first became ill, and Heather MacDougall, who supervised my first study on abortion; Roberto Perin, Yves Frenette, Craig Heron, Marcel Martel, Stephen Brooke, Carolyn Podruchny, and Myra Rutherdale, among others, have been generous over the years. Additionally, I've benefitted from studying alongside many great colleagues, too many to list. Special thanks are offered to Jenny Ellison, whose work was particularly inspiring, Jenny Carson, whose fierce intelligence and deep compassion have been most appreciated, and Geoff Read, for keeping me amused. My gratitude extends as well to Elena Chou, Beth Palmer, Lisa Rumiel, and Lee Singer. I don't think my family always understood what drove me to complete my PhD. They saw the frustration, loneliness, and the exhausting effort, but the rewards were a little less obvious until the project was completed. Nevertheless, they remain, each in their own way, a part of my success. My Mom, Pamela, has long been the rock that anchors me. My Dad, Terrence, died many years ago, but some of the most important lessons I've ever learned came from him. My sister, Lesley, is central to my happiness in ways I can't even articulate. My brother, Ryan, is loved, mostly. The rest of my immediate family - Dwayne, Meghan, Joshua, Carly, Kadin, and Callie - bring happiness, humour, and comfort. I am proud of and at times exasperated by each - and ever so grateful that I get to share my life with them. I have, as well, a wonderful extended family that has been most entertaining and supportive in recent years. Michelle Morris has been one of my closest friends forever. When I made the decision in early 2010 not to finish my dissertation, she immediately rejected that decision. I thank her for that and for her unwavering encouragement over the years. She has been my most constant support throughout this project. Thank you, Mimo, I am indebted. Finally, to the boys in my small family who make home my favourite place to be. My sweet and mostly patient Shadow held long vigils by me as I worked for hours at the computer, certain to make me laugh out loud every single day. And Bob, for believing, for entertaining himself really well and without complaint, for laughing with and at me, and for being the easiest person in the world to be with (usually!), I thank you. I'm so lucky that you're around. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract... iv Dedication... vi Acknowledgements... vii Introduction: Locating Women in the Canadian Abortion Law Reform Narrative, 1959-1970...1 Chapter One: "I read your grubby article on abortion": Abortion in Print Media and Reader Responses, 1959-1970. ..62 Chapter Two: "The woman's body, her problem, her decision, her life": Hearing Women's Voices Through the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada..