Morgentaler Raises Funds for NB Lawsuit
by Joyce Arthur
On October 9, Dr.
Henry Morgentaler hosted a successful fundraising event at the Royal
Theater in
Toronto.
The
purpose was to raise funds for his New Brunswick court case and bring
public attention to
the issue. The NB government stubbornly refuses to fund his clinic
there, in
blatant violation of the Canada Health
Act and the Supreme Court Morgentaler decision (more info here). New Brunswick is the only province in Canada
where many women are forced
to pay out-of-pocket for their abortions, creating a serious hardship.
Almost 250 people attended the fundraiser, which
consisted of
a dinner, followed by the premiere showing in Canada
of the new documentary film
“Henry.” The movie was well-received by the audience. Warm and
personal, it captured
Henry's personality and spirit and the issues that drive him. The
abortion issue was more of a backdrop, showing some of the history
and what Dr. Morgentaler went through, but focusing much more on
him personally. You really felt like
you were getting to know his family. As Dr. Morgentaler’s wife
Arlene
Liebovitch commented after the film, it felt like their private lives
were an
open book. The director of the film, Dara Bratt, was in attendance and
answered questions from the audience. She said she had
filmed over
55 hours of footage for the movie. Bratt is currently looking for
a distributor
for her movie.
Dr. Morgentaler is now 84 years old and was in
good spirits for the event. He looked well, in spite of undergoing
major heart surgery last year and
being a
little hard of hearing.
The Abortion Rights
Coalition of Canada (ARCC-CDAC) had a strong presence at the event,
with Joyce Arthur and
Carolyn Egan attending. Just before
the film, ARCC-CDAC formally presented a cheque to Dr. Morgentaler from
our
legal fund for the sum of $10,000. Included in the packet given out to
every
attendee was a card from Dr. Morgentaler listing major donors.
ARCC-CDAC’s name
was at the top of the list. Also in the packet was ARCC-CDAC’s
brochure, while the
most recent issue of our newsletter was made available in the lobby. We
are also
checking out the possibility of bringing the film “Henry” to other
cities for
special showings.
Several media personalities attended the event,
including
Heather Mallick and Evan Solomon, who also gave a speech. A who’s who
of Toronto’s pro-choice community and
other pro-choice leaders from
across Canada were
in
attendance, including Canada’s
famous feminist and Dr. Morgentaler’s close friend, Judy Rebick, who
was
prominently featured in the film. Most of the staff from the Toronto
Morgentaler Clinic were there, as well as staff from other abortion
clinics, and
representatives from the National Abortion Federation, Canadians for
Choice, and
Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics.
