TORONTO - Awarding Canada's most notable abortion rights crusader the country's highest civilian honour may have sparked furor among religious groups and social conservatives, but Ontario's Catholic premier said Tuesday he supports the move.

Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty, who's no stranger to religious controversy, voiced his approval of Dr. Henry Morgentaler's appointment to the Order of Canada - putting him in direct opposition to Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

It also places him at odds with a group of anti-abortionists near Ottawa and a Catholic priest in British Columbia who handed back their Order of Canada medals to protest the decision.

"I know that Dr. Morgentaler's been seen as a controversial figure, but I believe in a woman's right to make a very difficult decision," McGuinty said.

"And if she makes that difficult decision and chooses to have an abortion, I want her to be able to do that in a way that's safe, in a way that's publicly funded. So I know it's divisive, but I think it's important."

McGuinty, who angered his Catholic mother when he raised the idea of doing away with the daily reading of the Lord's Prayer in the provincial legislature, appears to be the first premier to publicly wade into the heated debate following Morgentaler's surprise Canada Day appointment.

The federal Conservatives were quick to distance themselves from the decision, pointing out that Order of Canada recipients are announced by the Governor General on the recommendation of an independent advisory committee chaired by the chief justice of Canada.

Harper was less than thrilled with Morgentaler's appointment, saying his "preference" would be to have the honour bestowed on a figure who unifies Canadians.

Morgentaler, 85, is best known for taking his fight on abortion to the Supreme Court and striking down the country's abortion laws 20 years ago.

The Polish-born physician, who survived the Dachau concentration camp, quit his family practice in Montreal in 1968 to open his first abortion clinic in defiance of the laws of the day.

He was imprisoned for 10 months for performing abortions illegally before the law was struck down and once saw his clinic bombed.

But opponents of abortion say the award devalues the Order of Canada, and some have returned their medals rather than be associated with Morgentaler.

On Tuesday, members of the Madonna House Apostolate took the Order of Canada medal and framed citation back to Rideau Hall in Ottawa to voice their objections to what they called "the serious misdirection of our country and many of its leaders."

The medal belonged to Catherine de Hueck Doherty, who died in 1985. But the Roman Catholic group that she founded says it belonged to all of them.

"The awarding of the Order of Canada to Dr. Morgentaler compels us to protest in the most forceful, peaceful way available to us," said a letter to Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, signed by the directors of the 200-member religious community in Combermere, Ont., east of Ottawa.

"Not only do we find his medical practice the dark side of the medical profession but his inclusion in the awards diminishes them," it said.

"An award that was meant to be a sign of unity is bringing division. Something is not right."

It said Morgentaler's lifelong fight to defend a woman's right to choose was "misguided."

"Through his crusade, the dignity of the person is violently transgressed, justice for the most vulnerable is trampled on, the healing arts are compromised and little faith is shown for the future. Is this what we want as a nation?"

Susanne Stubbs, one of the community's three directors, said the membership was unanimous in wanting to make a simple but public gesture. She called it "an act of conscience."

It is the second such protest against Morgentaler's appointment as a member of the order. Rev. Lucien Larre, a Roman Catholic priest in Coquitlam, B.C., named to the order 25 years ago, shipped his award to Ottawa.

The Canadian Council of Catholic Bishops has also asked that the nomination be reconsidered.

Doherty was named to the order 32 years ago for helping the poor. Stubbs said Doherty wrote a letter to the community stating the medal belonged to all of them.

Anyone can nominate a person for the Order of Canada, which is open to all Canadians except federal and provincial politicians and judges while in office.