Week 09 - Stettner - We Are Forced to Declare War - Linkages Between the 1970 Abortion Caravan and Womens Antiwar

Introduction

• Article Title: "We Are Forced to Declare War"

• Author: Shannon Stettner

• Source: Histoire sociale / Social History, Volume 46, Number 92, November 2013, pp. 423-441

• Main Thesis: Explores the connections between women’s abortion rights activism and their anti-Vietnam War efforts in Canada, particularly through the lens of the 1970 Abortion Caravan.

Context of the Abortion Caravan

• Legal Changes: In 1969, Canada legalized abortion under specific conditions.

  • Approved by a therapeutic abortion committee after assessing health risks to the woman.

• Public Protest: The May 1970 Abortion Caravan marked the first national pro-choice protest in Canada, highlighting women's dissatisfaction with the legal limitations and advocating for broader access to abortion.

  • Caravan journeyed from Vancouver to Ottawa, educating and gathering supporters.

Academic Focus

• Prior studies predominantly linked the Abortion Caravan to the women's liberation movement.

• Lack of scholarly work addressing the ties between abortion activism and anti-Vietnam War activism.

• The article utilizes oral histories, media coverage, and archival research to explore these links.

War Language and Activist Strategies

• Women employed a language of war in their protests.

• Activist strategies shared parallels between the anti-war and abortion rights movements, reflecting a collective identity and consciousness among participants.

• Example: Adoption of war rhetoric to amplify their demands and signal a commitment that transcended traditional activism norms.

Maternal Feminism

• Women’s peace activism linked to maternalism, positioning them as caregivers in the public sphere.

  • Desire to protect future generations influences activism styles.

• War and abortion as gendered issues: societal roles impact how women experience and advocate around these themes.

Intersectionality of Activism

• Some activists identified with both causes, recognizing shared oppression.

  • Activism often overlaps, leading to a spillover effect: tactics and ideologies from anti-war activism influence abortion rights debates.

Consciousness-Raising

• Emergence of consciousness-raising groups catalyzed political awareness among women.

  • Highlighted the need for women to articulate shared experiences of oppression.

• Participants connected personal experiences with abortion to broader political issues.

The Role of Personal Experience

• Many women engaged in the Caravan had personal connections to the issue of abortion, influencing their activism.

• Example: The trauma of unwanted pregnancies led participants to advocate for reproductive rights more vocally.

The Abortion Caravan's Symbolism

• Declaration of War: The Caravan participants framed their demands in militarized language, suggesting an emergency state over women's health.

  • Letter to Prime Minister Trudeau: framed abortion issues as a murderous crisis needing urgent governmental response.

Protest Strategies

• Utilized confrontational tactics reminiscent of anti-war protests: chaining themselves in Parliament, symbolizing resistance to oppressive laws.

  • Participants disrupted parliamentary sessions, drawing media attention.

• Visual symbolism, like the coffin carried to represent the deaths from illegal abortions, emphasized the urgency and tragedy of their cause.

Notable Events Leading to Reactions

• The Kent State shootings (May 4, 1970) spurred significant protests across North America, including anti-war and abortion rights protests happening simultaneously.

• The Caravan saw heightened urgency to claim their space within the activism landscape, leading to internal debates about prioritizing their causes.

Conclusion

• The Abortion Caravan was more than a single event; it represented a critical intersection of women’s rights activism in the 1970s.

• By leveraging their anti-war experiences, women reshaped the discourse around abortion rights.

• Their strategy of declaring "war" symbolized a readiness to defy the status quo, advocating directly for legislative reforms.

• Overall, understanding the Abortion Caravan enhances the complexity of Canadian feminism and emphasizes the intertwined nature of different social movements.