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list price: $29.99
edition:eBook
also available: Paperback
category: History
published: Mar 2025
ISBN:9781772604207
publisher: Second Story Press

Women Who Woke up the Law

Inside the Cases that Changed Women's Rights in Canada

by Karin Wells

tagged: gender & the law, women
Description

“Who was the woman trying to convince a jury in a tiny courthouse in Nova Scotia that it was self-defense when she killed her partner; and who was the young woman walking into the palais de justice in small-town Quebec arguing that it was her choice, not his, to have an abortion? What was it that pushed these women on, even when the lawyers said it was hopeless?”

From the award-winning author of The Abortion Caravan and More Than a Footnote, Karin Wells once again pulls us into the lives—and this time, the legal trials—of a group of women integral to the advancement of women’s rights in Canada. Eliza Campbell, Chantale Daigle, Jeannette Corbiere Lavell—these Women Who Woke Up the Law often had no idea what they were facing in the courts, or the price they would have to pay. Some never saw justice themselves, but they left a legal legacy. Their bold determination is something we need now more than ever to guard the hard-won gains in women’s rights.

About the Author

Karin Wells is a well-known CBC radio documentarian and a lawyer. Her books tell the often overlooked stories of remarkable Canadian women, including The Abortion Caravan, shortlisted for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing, and More Than a Footnote. Karin lives in Port Hope, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

“I didn’t read this book as a work of history but as a call to arms.”

— Emily Urquhart, author of Ordinary Wonder Tales

“An unflinching reminder of women’s long and fierce fight for justice under the law.”

— Aritha van Herk, writer and feminist scholar of Canadian Literature

"...Wells is skilled at pulling threads and making connections, weaving these wide-ranging tales into a fascinating tapestry."

— Kerry Clare, author of Asking for a Friend

“Terrific…. Grips the reader with the power of a novel.”

— Elizabeth Renzetti, author of What She Said: Conversations About Equality

“Each gem is about an ordinary woman who achieved something extraordinary.”

— Carol Off, former co-host of CBC Radio’s As It Happens

“We have faced these moments before and have come out victorious. Let this book inspire you.”

— Julie S. Lalonde, women’s rights advocate and author of Resilience Is Futile

“Chilling stories of adultery, abuse, and abortion that came at great cost to the women whose personal cases became public causes. We owe them our gratitude.”

— Senator Pamela Wallin

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