Individual Agents of Change CLN4U – Understanding Canadian and International Law

Learning Goal By the end of this lesson, students will be able to… explain the reasons of various individuals for seeking legal reform assess the significance of specific instances where the advocated reforms have been achieved

PART I: CANADIAN AGENTS OF CHANGE TURNING POINTS IN LEGAL HISTORY

Dr. Henry Morgentaler - CANADA ● Prior to 1969, abortion was illegal in Canada ● in the 1970s Morgentaler begins opening abortion clinics illegally in Montreal and other cities in Canada ● he was arrested several times and put on trial for breaking the Criminal Code of Canada ● In his last trial, he and his lawyer raised a Charter challenge … section 287 of the CCC making Abortion illegal violated Section 7 of women and doctor’s Charter rights… ● In 1987 the SCC struck down s. 287 of the CCC h?v=aBu4U-g5o1M

Sue Rodriguez ● Rodriguez was ill with a terminal disease (ALS) in the 1990’s (ALS) ● She wanted the right to have her doctor end her life, when she felt she could no longer go on – this is a form of homicide in the CCC ● She argued before the SCC that her s.7 right to “life, liberty and security of the person ” included her right to end her life when she decided to with the help of her doctor ● The SCC decided against Rodriguez, that s.7 does not include your right to end your life with the help of a physician * *Note: the federal government of Canada is in the process of legalizing physician-assisted suicide

Tommy Douglas A minister and politician, his passion for social activism made him #1 on the CBC’S ‘The Greatest Canadian’ Premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1971 Believed no one should be denied medical access based on the inability to pay – BASIC HUMAN RIGHT Faced strong opposition from doctors and many citizens He is credited with the adoption of the first Medicare program in Canada (Saskatchewan) in the 1960’s. Eventually extended Canada-wide by PM Lester Pearson.

OTHER FAMOUS INTERNATIONAL AGENTS OF CHANGE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

Muhammad Ali ● b. Cassius Marcellus Clay, January 17, 1942, Louisville, Kentucky ● Heavyweight boxing champion (regarded widely as one of the greatest boxers of all-time) ● Best known for his polarizing attitude and demeanor inside and outside of the ring ● Refused enlistment into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, famously stating: ‘No Vietcong ever called me ● Converted to Islam and avoided the draft – stripped of his heavyweight title

Che Guevara

Mahatma Gandhi ● b. October 2 nd 1869 in Porbandar, India ● Experienced racial prejudice in South Africa in his twenties - ● Used civil disobedience (peaceful protest – hunger strikes etc.) campaigns to protest unfair segregation laws in S.Afr., and India ● Became a leading figure in the Indian Independence movement in the 1940’s ● Assassinated the year after indep. achieved (1947)

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. Instructions: Complete the note-taking guide while watching the documentary : Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement