Spratt and Watson were charged under sections 2(1)(a) and 2(1)(b) of the provincial Access to Abortion Services Act as a result of their activities outside of a Vancouver health clinic. Signs stating “You shall not murder” and “Unborn Persons Have the Right to Live” were waved within a “bubble” or access zone outside the abortion clinic. The law aims to protect women from interference in this zone. The accused argued that the law violates their freedom of expression.

Whose rights should be paramount in cases such as this?

This exercise is based on End-of-Chapter case “R. v. Spratt, 2008 BCCA 340 (CanLII); application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court dismissed June 18, 2009”.