The Singing Abortionist

Holocaust survivor. Womanizer. Pro-choice crusader. Dr. Henry Morgentaler, who passed away in 2013, is often referred to as the most loved and hated man in Canada. But so little is known about the contradictions behind the activist. The Singing Abortionist is the deconstruction of the man behind the cause.

Steadfast to the belief that “to help people is not a crime” and a rebel at heart, Henry called a press conference in the ‘70s to announce that he had performed 7000 illegal abortions. To take it even further, he performed an abortion, live on television, on Mother’s Day, in 1972. But why would a man who had barely escaped Nazi Germany put himself back in a position to be imprisoned?

This documentary explores how surviving Nazi Germany played a profound impact in sculpting Henry’s activism in the pro-choice movement. For having witnessed such an atrocity including the murder of his family led him to believe “that just because something is law, does not mean it’s just.” For 20 years, he fought social battles in the public eye and personal battles behind closed doors. This film seeks to know and understand the man known as the singing abortionist.