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In Canada today, there is no prohibitive regulation of abortion. Indeed, federal law seems barely cognisant of the social reality of the widespread termination of pregnancy. The absence of legal obstacles appears to remove law from the abortion debate, but, having defined its terms, I argue that law continues to operate at a constitutive level, notwithstanding its invisibility. In Canadian public consciousness, there is 'abortion on demand'. However, an examination of women's actual experiences reveals a complexity and a mismatch with social and legal discourse that feminists need to address both theoretically and practically. This article uses 15 specific stories to explore the factors preventing the realization of feminist ideals of full and equal choice for all women. An awareness of women's agency and the different ideological contexts and material inequalities under which they negotiate unplanned pregnancy, abortion and motherhood must inform feminist strategies within and beyond law, if the promise of reproductive rights is to be fulfilled universally.

The lack of a clear and accessible law specifically outlining when abortion is legal in Northern Ireland has led to confusion and misinformation among the public, health professionals, politicians, lobby groups and the media. Hard won Departmental Guidance and legal challenges to it provide evidence of religious and cultural bias at an institutional level against abortion in any circumstances. The introduction of Northern Ireland's first private abortion clinic in 2012 has brought the debate into sharper focus. This commentary explores recent developments in abortion regulation and the failings of the two legislatures in Belfast and Westminster to live up to both domestic legal standards and international human rights law on reproductive health.