B.C.’s free contraception plan renews push for Ottawa, other provinces to follow suit

by Camille Bains The Canadian Press
March 1, 2023

Proponents of British Columbia’s move to provide free prescription contraception say the policy could spur other provinces to follow suit but a national plan would best serve people’s reproductive needs and slash health-care costs overall.

Obstetricians and reproductive rights advocates say other countries, including the United Kingdom, already provide free contraception as part of their health-care plans.

Continued: https://globalnews.ca/news/9520731/free-contraception-birth-control-canada-bc/

How the COVID-19 pandemic has affected abortion care in Canada

January 5, 2022
Kate Wahl, Madeleine Ennis

Abortions are common and essential medical procedures; one in three women in Canada have an abortion in their lifetime. Access to this care helps people plan and space out their pregnancies, providing vital benefits to individuals, families and society.

Pandemic-related travel restrictions and facility closures initially jeopardized access to abortion care. However, the pandemic has also become a catalyst for more accessible ways to deliver abortion care, such as providing medical abortions, which are drug-induced rather than surgical, via telemedicine.

Continued: https://theconversation.com/how-the-covid-19-pandemic-has-affected-abortion-care-in-canada-168722

Mifegymiso Can Be Prescribed Without An Ultrasound: Health Canada

Mifegymiso Can Be Prescribed Without An Ultrasound: Health Canada
"Health care practitioners across Canada have been asking for removal for this restriction."

By Maija Kappler
Apr 17, 2019

Canadian doctors are no longer required to perform an ultrasound before prescribing medicine that will end unwanted pregnancies. Experts say the change will eliminate a significant barrier to abortion access, particularly for women living in rural areas who often had to travel major distances or wait long periods of time before they could get ultrasounds.

Health Canada made the announcement that an ultrasound was no longer required before a doctor could prescribe Mifegymiso, the "abortion pill," in a press release on Tuesday.

Continued: https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2019/04/16/mifegymiso-health-canada_a_23712955/