The landmark decision R. v. Morgentaler (1988) struck down Canada’s abortion law and is widely believed to have established a right to abortion, but its actual impact is much less decisive. In After Morgentaler, Rachael Johnstone examines the state of abortion access in Canada today and argues that substantive access is essential to full citizenship for women. Using case studies, Johnstone assesses the role of both state and non-state actors in shaping access. This book affirms the need to recognize abortion as an issue fundamentally tied to women’s equality, while stressing the utility of rights claims to improve access.

Rachael Johnstone's profile page

Rachael Johnstone is an assistant professor at the Bader International Study Centre (Queen’s University, Canada) in the United Kingdom, where she instructs courses in both political studies and gender studies. She has written extensively on the politics of abortion in Canada.

"After Morgentaler provides a nuanced examination of the legislative and judicial actions that shaped access to abortion in Canada in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries."

"After Morgentaler is an important and compelling contribution to Canadian abortion scholarship."

Canadian Historical Review