Dr. Marion Powell talks about influencing abortion law in Canada

An audio interview with Dr. Marion Powell talking about her influence on abortion law in Canada. The interview is accompanied by a slide show of images of abortion related objects and documents from this exhibit.

Duration: 1:55 minutes.

[Title card reads: Dr. Marion Powell talks about influencing abortion law in Canada] [An older woman begins talking. A blue background fades away to reveals a colourful illustration of an egg in a wire basket and two eggs in a bowl.] In many ways it comes as a bit of a shock when people say to me that I’ve affected policy in this country. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal an image of a pink protest button that reads Choice: Abortion a Woman's Right.] I’ve got a few things, sort of memories of things that stand out. One is where I got the report of the Senate Hansard back in 1976 when I was appointed to a federal government study on abortion, the abortion law. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal an image of a yellow report cover printed with the contact information of the Committee on the Operation of the Abortion Law - Appointed by the Government of Canada.] And I guess I’ve been outspoken on abortion, so that there were some objections in the Senate to my appointment. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal an image of a deep purple protest button that reads Motherhood by Choice Not By Chance.] And I’ve got this two or three page where they defend my appointment and talk about what a nice person I am and I am married to a minister, and I’m on the board of a home for unmarried mothers. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal a background with the word Abortion written in yellow stylized text] You know when you read two or three pages of yourself out of Senate Hansard, you sort of say, ‘how did I write that’?
 [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal an image of a yellow protest button that reads Choice: Abortion a Woman's Right.] Of course, the most striking thing, I guess, that has ever happened was when the Supreme Court struck down the abortion law and cited my report and cited me throughout it and used a lot of the work I’ve done to justify striking down the law. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal the cover a white and green report titled Therapeutic Abortion 1972 in English and French.] And I think it is very difficult. I tended to pretend I didn’t say things and do things, but I don’t appear in the media. [A blue background covers the screen and then fades to reveal an image of a black protest button that reads Choice: Abortion a Woman's Right.] So, when it has the impact of changing, influencing a Supreme Court decision on something like abortion, it’s hard to believe it’s really me. [Screen fades to blue.]