An eleventh hour intervention by two unnamed New Brunswick
physicians has proven that Canadian doctors' commitment
to abortion has not flagged (see "NB's
shrinking abortion access"). Fredericton's Chalmers
Hospital — the only place in the province women can
get publicly-funded abortions — announced in mid-May
that because of ob/gyn shortages, it will stop abortion
services on June 30. The physicians have offered to fill
the void as best they can.
However, access remains a huge
concern. In NB, hospital abortions can only take place
when both the woman's FP and an ob/gyn have deemed the
procedure to be "medically necessary." Considering the
province's physician shortage, women have long complained
that this rigmarole makes it extremely difficult to
get a timely abortion. Most end up heading over to the
Morgentaler clinic and paying the $500-700.
These two physicians have saved
women in NB and PEI — where abortion services are
non-existent — from lengthy journeys and unwanted
pregnancies. But the story has even wider relevance.
Anecdotal evidence suggests the number of physicians
qualified and willing to perform abortions is on the
decline — fear of violence and time constraints
have been cited. Could the downward spiral be coming
to your province? Until physicians can assure that their
patients will get their abortions "on demand," more
heroic measures are on the horizon.
— Gillian Woodford, Editor
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