Henry Morgentaler
A Holocaust survivor who became the defiant architect of Canada's abortion access, challenging laws and transforming healthcare.
1923–2013 (age 90)·Canadian physician and abortion rights advocate·Birthday: March 19·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Henry Morgentaler’s life was forged in unimaginable resistance. A Polish Jew, he survived the Łódź Ghetto and Dachau concentration camp, experiences that cemented his belief in bodily autonomy. After emigrating to Canada and becoming a physician, he turned that belief into action. In 1969, he began openly performing abortions in his Montreal clinic, directly contravening the law. He was arrested and acquitted multiple times, his legal battles becoming a national spectacle. His unwavering civil disobedience culminated in the landmark 1988 Supreme Court decision that struck down Canada's abortion law as unconstitutional. More than a doctor, he was a strategist who forced a country to confront a moral and legal divide, fundamentally reshaping reproductive rights.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Henry was born in 1923, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Henry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1923
#1 Movie
The Covered Wagon
Henry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1923Born
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1928Started school
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1936Became a teenager
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Could drive
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1941Could vote
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Turned 21
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1953Turned 30
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1963Turned 40
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 50
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 60
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 70
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 80
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Died at 90
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Successfully challenged Canada's abortion law, leading to its invalidation by the Supreme Court in the 1988 R. v. Morgentaler decision.
- Opened the first freestanding abortion clinic in Canada in 1969, defying the criminal code of the time.
- Was acquitted by juries multiple times despite being charged under Canada's abortion laws, highlighting public sympathy for his cause.
- Awarded the Order of Canada in 2008, a controversial honor that reflected his profound impact on Canadian society.
Did You Know?
He credited his survival in Nazi concentration camps to working as a medical orderly.
He was struck off the medical register in Quebec for a time due to his abortion-related convictions, but was later reinstated.
His 1988 Supreme Court victory came on the anniversary of his liberation from Dachau.
He received numerous death threats and his clinics were often targets of vandalism and violence.
“I believe that the right to abortion is a matter of personal conscience and should not be subject to criminal law.”
