Henry Morgentaler, the abortionist who led the way to legalized abortion in Canada two decades ago, on Tuesday received the Governor General's Order of Canada — his country's highest civilian award.

"It's a sign of recognition for all the work I've done over the years and the sacrifices I've borne," Morgentaler said at a press conference at his Toronto clinic.

Life advocates were incensed.

"Canada's highest honor has been debased," Roman Catholic Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto said in a statement. "We are all diminished."

Joanne Byfield, president of LifeCanada, told Reuters: "It is hard to believe that the queen's representative and our government can ignore the beliefs of the majority of Canadians by bestowing what was such a prestigious honor on a man who has spent his life denying the most fundamental human right, the right to life for all human beings."