Could free birth control be on the horizon in Ontario?

British Columbia will soon fully cover hormone-based contraception — and Ontario advocates are hoping this province will follow suit

Written by Diane Peters
Mar 15, 2023

Several times a month, a client at the SHORE Centre in Kitchener admits they can’t afford to pay for their birth control.

And SHORE’s executive director, TK Pritchard, suspects many more clients have a hard time paying for their birth control. “We know people who are choosing between buying food that week and getting their birth control,” Pritchard says. “Sometimes they tell us; sometimes they don’t.”

Continued: https://www.tvo.org/article/could-free-birth-control-be-on-the-horizon-in-ontario https://www.tvo.org/article/could-free-birth-control-be-on-the-horizon-in-ontario

Canada – Doctors brace for a nationwide shortage of abortion pills

Mifegymiso manufacturer says supply chain to blame for second shortage in 3 months

Marina von Stackelberg · CBC News
Posted: Feb 16, 2023

A nationwide shortage of the abortion pill is expected next week⁠ — just months after previous shortage of the drug forced some patients to get surgical abortions instead.

"When our hands are tied, it's really frustrating to not be able to give the standard of care," said Dr. Emily Stuart, an abortion provider on Vancouver Island.

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/abortion-pill-shortage-1.6750183

‘Turning a medical procedure into a political one’: Why a law protecting abortion in Canada would do the opposite

Opening the door to abortion legislation — regardless of how progressive — means opening the door to potential restrictions without any medical merit.

By Kelly Bowden, Tiffany Butler
Mon., Jan. 2, 2023

Recent polling data shows a majority of Canadians support access to abortion and want the government to ensure access to those services. But the way most Canadians want to see abortion services protected will have the opposite effect.

The November poll by Angus Reid shows three in five Canadians support the idea of a law to guarantee and improve access to abortion. While this might seem like a good idea, it’s a slippery slope toward creating the same situation we’re seeing in the U.S.

Continued: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2023/01/02/turning-a-medical-procedure-into-a-political-one-why-a-law-protecting-abortion-in-canada-would-do-the-opposite.html

02.01.2023

Abortion law

Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

Angus Reid

Canada Health Act

Kelly Bowden

National Association of Women and the Law

Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund

Tiffany Butler

Canada has been facing an abortion pill shortage. Here’s what to know

By Rachel Gilmore Global News
Posted December 16

Canada has been facing a shortage of its supply of Mifegymiso, the two-drug combination commonly known as the abortion pill, according to the manufacturer of the medication — though supplies are expected to become available next week.

People who can get pregnant have been unable to access the abortion pill in some parts of the country for the last two weeks, according to a spokesperson representing the pharmaceutical company Linepharma.

Continued: https://globalnews.ca/news/9354358/abortion-pill-shortage-mifegymiso-canada-access/

On the brink: Why abortion access in Ontario is under threat

By Jasmine Pazzano, Global News
December 6, 2022

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade abortion rights earlier this year, Canadians speculated that this country would become a destination, if not a safe haven, for Americans who could no longer get care in their home states.

As it stands, though, the system in Canada is struggling to provide for its own patients.

Continued: https://globalnews.ca/news/9280268/abortion-access-ontario-under-threat/

Abortion rights drove American expats to vote in midterms, say Democrats in Canada

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press
Nov 9, 2022

OTTAWA — A representative for Democrats Abroad says concern over the right to abortion was a motivating factor for those living outside the United States to vote in the country's midterm elections Tuesday.

Dianna English, who leads the Toronto chapter of the organization, says many people she spoke to were in "disbelief" that outlawing access to abortion was put back on the table this year.

Continued: https://kitchener.citynews.ca/national-news/abortion-rights-drove-american-expats-to-vote-in-midterms-say-democrats-in-canada-6079757

09.11.2022

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Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

Canadian government urged to fast-track promise to tackle anti-abortionists

Trudeau’s party is accused of going silent on vow to strip charity status from groups that ‘deceive’ pregnant people

Annie Burns-Pieper, OpenDemocracy
2 August 2022

The Canadian government has been urged to finally fulfill its promise of ending charitable status for anti-abortion organisations accused of deceiving pregnant people by masquerading as ‘health centres’.

During its 2021 election campaign, the Liberal Party vowed to target groups “that provide dishonest counselling to women about their rights and about the options available to them at all stages of the pregnancy”.

Continued: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/canada-abortion-charity-status-crisis-pregnancy-centre-roe-v-wade-election/

‘We need to secure access here first’: Why Canada can’t help Americans with abortions yet

Christine Jean-Baptiste
Fri, July 22, 2022

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Canadian abortion advocates and activists have not stopped worrying about what's next.

"It's like a horror show. We're all going through the shock and trying to just grapple with what the consequences will be," said Joyce Arthur, Executive Director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada.

Continued: https://www.yahoo.com/video/abortions-canada-roe-v-wade-pregnancy-law-192902858.html

Canada – Liberals urged to fulfill promise to cease funding to anti-abortion groups

Carly Weeks, Globe & Mail
July 11, 2022

Abortion rights advocacy groups are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to defend reproductive rights in Canada by denying anti-abortion groups funding and revoking their charity status.

Dozens of crisis pregnancy centres and other anti-abortion groups received federal COVID-19 relief funds and continue to have tax exempt charity status. Mr. Trudeau has been highly critical of crisis pregnancy centres and has promised to revoke their charity status.

Continued: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canada-crisis-pregnancy-centres-charitable-status/

Not a ‘uniform experience’: Women share their triumphs and concerns with accessing abortion in Canada

Jennifer Ferreira, CTVNews.ca Producer
July 7, 2022

With the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Susan Brison is reminded of her late sister’s decision to get an abortion in 1967, when the procedure was still illegal in Canada.

Brison’s sister, Kate Daller, had been 19 at the time, she said. It was after Brison’s family moved from northern British Columbia to Toronto that Daller became pregnant. Having only lived in Toronto for two years, Brison’s family wasn’t able to find a doctor willing to perform an abortion in the city, she said.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/not-a-uniform-experience-women-share-their-triumphs-and-concerns-with-accessing-abortion-in-canada-1.5978521

07.07.2022