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Snapshot of abortion access
across Canada
New Brunswick New Brunswick
law requires two doctors to judge the abortion
medically necessary and refer the woman to a gynecologist
for her to get coverage. The merry-go-round from
doctor to doctor delays the service, but going
to a private clinic would cost a minimum of $750,
according to Ms LaRue, so this leaves low-income
women in a fix. Dr Henry Morgentaler is suing
the New Brunswick government over this policy,
which he says violates the Canada Health Act,
since all abortions are by definition medically
necessary.
Quebec Women in that
province have their abortions covered, even in
private clinics, thanks to a 2006 court decision
— but only if they go to a hospital or community
clinic first and can't get a timely abortion there.
Prince Edward Island
There are no abortion providers, so PEI women
have to go to other provinces, though they are
reimbursed for their costs.
Ontario Abortion services
are fully covered, including those done in private
clinics, but wait times have escalated. "Ottawa
has one of the longest wait times in the country,
up to six weeks," says Ms LaRue.
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Abortion may be legal in Canada,
but that doesn't mean it's always available. Only one
in six hospitals in Canada offer abortion services,
a 2007 Canadians for Choice survey reported. And the
country is on the cusp of provider shortages, says Dr
Dustin Costescu-Green, the former president of Medical
Students For Choice (MSFC).
MSFC lobbies med schools to teach
abortion and contraception training. Some schools never
broach the topic, he says. "Many first-generation providers
are retiring and, with the lack of training, there isn't
a younger generation that's coming up to fill the void,"
adds ob-gyn Norman Barwin, the president of Canadians
for Choice.
Fear of persecution is keeping
some med students away from seeking abortion training,
Dr Costescu-Green says. "Although I want it to be part
of my practice, I'm aware that being visible places
me and my family at risk of harassment."
"And the motivation is no longer
there as it was for the abortion pioneers twenty years
ago," says Patricia LaRue, executive director of Canadians
for Choice. "Doctors who performed abortions 10 or 15
years ago had the conviction, because they'd seen women
pass away from unsafe abortions," she says. Dr Costescu-Green
agrees. "Now, it's less about saving a woman from sepsis
and more about protecting access and choice."
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