For more than 50 years, Unitarians and Universalists in Canada have advocated for reproductive rights. Members of the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) have adopted 10 resolutions on family planning, family life education, and abortion since 1968 and are proud that access to abortion is a protected right in Canada.

The CUC and the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Ministers of Canada (UUMOC) are deeply troubled by the Supreme Court of the United States’ (SCOTUS’) decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturns Roe v. Wade. With this decision, SCOTUS has determined that the right to an abortion is not protected by the United States Constitution and allows states to restrict or ban abortions.

“Human dignity requires that every person have the right to decide whether they shall bear a child,” says CUC Executive Director Vyda Ng. “Every child deserves to be wanted. With this ruling, millions of people will have these rights stripped away. Those who are already marginalized will be further victimized.”

“The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court does not change Canadian legislation,” says Rev. Anne Barker, UUMOC President, “but that does not mean we are not impacted by it. Our collective liberation is bound up together and we know that what harms one harms us all.”

Most recently, in 2015, the CUC committed to “ensure that Canada continues to permit the right to abortion to be determined exclusively by the woman (sic) in consultation with a physician, and to ensure that abortions are available and accessible to all Canadians at a reasonable cost.”

“Today, we reaffirm our commitment to safe, affordable, equitable abortion in Canada and around the world,” says CUC President Charles Shields. “We re-assert our belief that the right to abortion should be determined exclusively by the person who is pregnant in consultation with their physician. And we express our solidarity with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and other organizations advocating for reproductive justice in the United States.

~ From the CUC’s National Voice Team:
UU Ministers of Canada President, Rev. Anne Barker; CUC Board President, Charles Shields;
CUC Executive Director, Vyda Ng.

Canadian Unitarian Council resolutions related to reproductive justice:
“Resolutions 2015 – Equitable Abortion Access”
“Resolutions 1968-1986 – Reproductive Rights, A Summary”
“Resolutions 1980 – Abortion Rights”

Statement from our colleagues at the Unitarian Universalist Association:
“From the UUA President: UUs Remain Committed to Reproductive Justice”

The Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) is the national organization for Canadian Unitarian, Unitarian Universalist, and Universalist Unitarian (UU) congregations in Canada, and practices liberal faith theology and advocates for human rights, equity and justice.
The Unitarian Universalist Ministers of Canada (UUMOC) is the Canadian professional association of UU ministers, and promotes excellence in ministry.