R.I.P. Dr. Morgentaler

Originally posted by sabotabby at R.I.P. Dr. Morgentaler(Plz excuse the cheeky icon; under the circumstances, it seems appropriate.)

We lost a great man today. Dr. Morgentaler, a doctor and Holocaust survivor who risked his life and freedom to ensure reproductive rights for women in Canada, is dead at age 90. He lived a good long life and no one lives forever, and he had the rare privilege, I imagine, of knowing with certainty that he left the world a tangibly better place for having been in it.

The word "hero" gets thrown around a lot, particularly in regards to police and military, but in Morgentaler's case, it really does apply. He wasn't a woman, didn't have to face the wrenching life-or-death choice that unwanted pregnancy could be. He didn't need to crusade for abortion rights. He could have lived a comfortable, wealthy life without being thrown in jail or living with fear of being murdered for doing his job. But he didn't. He chose a difficult path because it was the right thing to do, and I, along with so many other women, thank him for it.

Every child a wanted child, every mother a willing mother. Rest in peace, Dr. Morgentaler. You've earned it.

(On a tangential note, I see that the prohibition on speaking ill of the dead in newspaper obituaries applies, surprise surprise, only to awful politicians and such.)