Home » Canada faces challenges in becoming an abortion safe haven after Roe v. Wade: experts – National

Canada faces challenges in becoming an abortion safe haven after Roe v. Wade: experts – National

by Naomi Parham

Canada still faces its own disparities in abortion access and may struggle to serve as a “safe haven” for Americans affected by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, according to defenders north of the border.

Although Canadian officials promise to ensure access to abortion and have committed funds for this effort, experts say more needs to be done to reduce the stigma surrounding the procedure and encourage provinces and territories to offer care.

“What happened in the United States is very scary, and it’s definitely something we need to be vigilant about,” said Insiya Mankani, public affairs manager for Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights.

“At the same time, we must continue to ensure that there is better access to abortion across the country. And I think the federal government can certainly play a role in that.

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On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to defend abortion rights in Canada and around the world after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade of 1973 which guaranteed the constitutional right to abortion.

He called the court’s decision a “devastating setback” for American women, who will now face huge disparities in access depending on the state in which they live. Several states immediately moved to ban abortion within hours of the decision.

“Quite frankly, this is an attack on everyone’s freedoms and rights,” Trudeau said at the Commonwealth summit in Kigali, Rwanda.

“It shows how important it is to stand up and fight for rights every day, that we can’t take anything for granted.”


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Roe v. Wade overturned: Trudeau calls US Supreme Court decision an ‘attack’ on freedom and rights


Roe v. Wade overturned: Trudeau calls US Supreme Court decision an ‘attack’ on freedom and rights

Abortion is decriminalized in Canada due to a 1988 Supreme Court ruling, but no bill has ever been passed to enshrine access in law.

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Still access varies widely Across the country. Rural women in some provinces – including Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba – are forced to travel to urban centers for surgical abortions.

Abortion pills can also be difficult to obtain, as they are not prescribed by family doctors or walk-in clinics.

Although the US decision sends “shockwaves” everywhere, the legal ability to have an abortion in Canada is not threatened, said Joyce Arthur, executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada.

But her organization is concerned that Americans are coming north for abortion care and is calling on federal and provincial governments to help clinics with more funding because, as Arthur puts it, “even a small number of ‘Americans can overwhelm our system’.

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Mankani could not say how many activists expect to cross the border for treatment.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said last month he would speak with the Canada Border Services Agency to ensure its staff know that Americans seeking abortions can come to Canada.

Dr. Martha Paynter, a registered nurse working in abortion care and a postdoctoral fellow with UBC’s Contraception and Abortion Research Team, told Global News that clinics across the country could see increased demand.

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“And of course we will take care of them,” she said.

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But she warned that Americans will face “significant costs” as a result.

“They don’t have provincial health insurance and will have to pay for their care if they come to Canada to seek it,” Paynter said.

Not all parts of Canada will likely experience a surge from the United States.

Western states like Washington, Oregon and California are working to protect abortion rights and portray themselves as safe havens, while abortion rights bills have been passed in states like New York and the surrounding northeast.

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This means that British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes are unlikely to see a “significant” fallout, Dr. Dustin Costescu, an associate professor at McMaster University and a specialist previously told Global News. family planning and sexual health.

Yet the prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba – which are already struggling to access it – could see Americans come from states like Idaho, North Dakota and South Dakota, who banned abortion through “trigger laws” that came into effect after the Supreme Court ruling. .


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Access to Abortion: The Rural-Urban Divide in British Columbia


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No need for a national law in Canada

Although the right to abortion does not exist in Canada in the same way as it once enshrined in Roe v. Wade, experts say a national law or similar legal precedent would likely backfire.

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“It’s not in the Criminal Code, and that’s actually a good thing because it means subsequent governments can’t override a decision, which suddenly makes it very restrictive,” Mankani said.

“It’s part of the Canada Health Act as part of health care, because it’s health care. »

Mankani instead says the Liberal government should focus on fulfilling its election promise to create Canada Health Act regulations that would penalize provinces for not providing access to sexual and reproductive health services.

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Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters in May that such mechanisms already exist, but that his officials plan to strengthen them in the coming months.

Last year, the Liberal government confirmed that it had withheld about $140,000 from New Brunswick’s share of the federal health transfer because it does not fund abortions performed at a clinic in Fredericton.

Another priority, according to Mankani, should be the creation of a government-run web portal that can direct women seeking abortion to appropriate information, their nearest provider or how to access abortion pills.


Click to play the video: ''There are no abortion laws here.  Abortion is a type of health care': Canadian Human Reproduction Advocate'







“There are no abortion laws here. Abortion is a Type of Health Care”: Canadian Reproductive Advocate


“There are no abortion laws here. Abortion is a Type of Health Care”: Canadian Reproductive Advocate

While Action Canada and other advocates provide similar services, she said these groups survive on donations and are a “stopgap” for a more permanent solution.

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“The lack of access to accurate information in Canada is a huge barrier for people seeking abortion care,” she said.

Ottawa provided $3.5 million to Action Canada and the National Abortion Federation to improve their efforts to educate and support women seeking care.

Mankani says that while the news from the United States is “devastating”, she is encouraged that organizations and advocates are stepping in to ensure rights are not reduced elsewhere.

“There’s this devastation, but there’s definitely also this hope for change,” she said.

– with files from Amy Judd of Global, Amanda Connolly and The Canadian Press

© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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