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No Choice: The 30-Year Fight for Abortion on Prince Edward Island
In 1969, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau passed a law legalizing abortion in Canada. But making abortion legal did not guarantee women access to these services. In many communities around the country, women have had to travel great distances and at great personal expense to exercise their legal right to an abortion. Others have taken matters into their own hands, often with devastating consequences.
In No Choice, Kate McKenna offers a firsthand account of Prince Edward Island’s refusal to bring abortion services to the Island, and introduces us to the courageous women who struggled for over thirty years to change this. With a very vocal Right to Life movement that used small town gossip, political pressure, and the force of the Catholic Church to silence the pro-choice movement, the struggle seemed to be over before it even began. But everything changed in 2016.
In No Choice, Kate McKenna offers a firsthand account of Prince Edward Island’s refusal to bring abortion services to the Island, and introduces us to the courageous women who struggled for over thirty years to change this. With a very vocal Right to Life movement that used small town gossip, political pressure, and the force of the Catholic Church to silence the pro-choice movement, the struggle seemed to be over before it even began. But everything changed in 2016.
122 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 17, 2019
This is a really well-researched and well-written history of the fight for abortion access on Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is an interesting read, and the author holds nothing back. An important read for Islanders and Canadians.
August 17, 2018
A fascinating read.
January 2, 2025
You can tell I've been ruined by academia because as I was reading this, there were many sections where I thought "this would make a good MA thesis project".
A great overview on a topic that I knew surprisingly little about. My knowledge of abortion access in Canada comes largely from high school law class and a few articles read in undergrad, and the fact that abortion access was essentially criminalized in PEI from the late 1980s to 2017 due to the interference by the Catholic Church and anti-choice activists never came up. A frustrating and fascinating look at how a service that is legal and protected in Canada can be made impossible for many to access through bureaucratic inference and disregard to women's health needs. Obviously for a book of this size and intent, it's missing the depth I would like (again, if someone wanted to explore the anti-choice movement/Catholic influence or the women's health movement on the Island in the 1980s, this would be a great thesis topic), but it serves as a good starting point for readers. I love abortion and I thought this was a really accessible and essential text that left me thankful that I live in a country where we are able to (currently - I suspect future governments will be challenging this) access safe and reliable abortion care.
A great overview on a topic that I knew surprisingly little about. My knowledge of abortion access in Canada comes largely from high school law class and a few articles read in undergrad, and the fact that abortion access was essentially criminalized in PEI from the late 1980s to 2017 due to the interference by the Catholic Church and anti-choice activists never came up. A frustrating and fascinating look at how a service that is legal and protected in Canada can be made impossible for many to access through bureaucratic inference and disregard to women's health needs. Obviously for a book of this size and intent, it's missing the depth I would like (again, if someone wanted to explore the anti-choice movement/Catholic influence or the women's health movement on the Island in the 1980s, this would be a great thesis topic), but it serves as a good starting point for readers. I love abortion and I thought this was a really accessible and essential text that left me thankful that I live in a country where we are able to (currently - I suspect future governments will be challenging this) access safe and reliable abortion care.
August 21, 2018
A well researched lens into the very real challenges associated with bringing abortion services to PEI.
August 29, 2018
Note: this book was sent to me by Fernwood Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This full review was published on Jilly.ca
Published earlier this spring by Fernwood Publishing, No Choice: The 30-Year Fight for Abortion on Prince Edward Island is a concise look at the struggle for reproductive rights, going all the way back to before abortion became legal in Canada in 1988. I appreciated the inclusion of background information on Dr. Henry Morgentaler, the man known for making that happen—obviously not alone, but he did a lot.
No Choice is broken into two sections: the early days of the fight and the development of strategies and the successes from the last few years. One minor thing I would have liked to have seen in this book was bolded headings for different chunks of the history, but that’s just personal preference. McKenna’s writing and unpacking of the highly politicized issue of abortion services is clear, succinct, and a pleasure to read.
I’ll admit, it’s bizarre to read a non-fiction book where you know so many of the hardworking women who helped the movement happen, or you know someone who knows that someone. One was a friend of a co-worker. I took an improv class with another. I know several of them via Twitter.
Myself and the rest of the women of Prince Edward Island owe these women an enormous debt of gratitude for their hard work, sacrifices, and risks. I am so grateful.
Published earlier this spring by Fernwood Publishing, No Choice: The 30-Year Fight for Abortion on Prince Edward Island is a concise look at the struggle for reproductive rights, going all the way back to before abortion became legal in Canada in 1988. I appreciated the inclusion of background information on Dr. Henry Morgentaler, the man known for making that happen—obviously not alone, but he did a lot.
No Choice is broken into two sections: the early days of the fight and the development of strategies and the successes from the last few years. One minor thing I would have liked to have seen in this book was bolded headings for different chunks of the history, but that’s just personal preference. McKenna’s writing and unpacking of the highly politicized issue of abortion services is clear, succinct, and a pleasure to read.
I’ll admit, it’s bizarre to read a non-fiction book where you know so many of the hardworking women who helped the movement happen, or you know someone who knows that someone. One was a friend of a co-worker. I took an improv class with another. I know several of them via Twitter.
Myself and the rest of the women of Prince Edward Island owe these women an enormous debt of gratitude for their hard work, sacrifices, and risks. I am so grateful.
December 29, 2021
I’ve never been more mad about the way bureaucracy is used as a shield when denying people basic rights. Very fascinating to read when so much of this fight is fresh in my memory from my university years. Highly recommend as this is still very relevant in the Maritime provinces — access to important reproductive health care is still not equitable across the country or even the region despite “universal” healthcare.
September 3, 2020
Informative and enjoyable read. The second part in particular was really good. The first I thought could have done with some reorganizing into chapters as I found it hard to follow in parts. As a political scientist I found it fascinating how this change came about, thanks solely to the hard and persistent work of women.
May 25, 2019
Women's struggles are as real today as they were 50 years ago... or 200 years ago
June 13, 2019
A great read about the difficult road to bring abortion access to Prince Edward Island. Engaging and informative
January 13, 2023
Very well written account of the struggles to achieve access to abortion in PEI. This book ofter a glimpse into what smaller provinces in Canada are up against when attempting to effect change.
December 27, 2020
An interesting read about the challenges faced in aligning Canadian law with actual access to women's services, specifically on Prince Edward Island.
May 5, 2018
A captivating and well researched piece of work of very humbling stories. Highly recommend this book!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews