Why Alabama’s ruling that embryos are children could fuel anti-abortion movement in Canada

Decision also 'chilling' for people seeking IVF, says Canada Research Chair

Natalie Stechyson · CBC News
Feb 22, 2024

A decision by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law has some reproductive rights advocates and fertility law experts in Canada concerned about a potential ripple effect.

The worry isn't necessarily that a decision like the one in Alabama, that was issued in wrongful death cases brought by couples who had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident, could happen here, experts say.

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/alabama-court-embryos-1.7121293

Canada – Allow surgical abortions in N.B. clinics, federal report says

Study says Ottawa lacks ‘straightforward’ authority to force province to improve access

Jacques Poitras · CBC News
Nov 14, 2023

A highly anticipated research study on surgical abortion access in New Brunswick recommends the province allow doctors to perform the procedure in community clinics as a way of eliminating barriers to the procedure.

But the report does not call on the federal government — which commissioned the study — to force the province to act, saying it's not clear Ottawa has a legal leg to stand on.

Its lead author, former University of New Brunswick law professor Jula Hughes, says the data from hospital abortions and those at Fredericton's Clinic 554 proves that "hospital access is just slower."

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/federal-report-calls-on-nb-to-allow-abortions-in-clinics-1.7028034

14.11.2023

funding of abortion clinics

Jula Hughes

Mark Holland

Martha Paynter

New Brunswick abortion access

The state of reproductive rights in Canada

It’s been one year since Roe v. Wade was overturned in the United States. In this piece, we look at abortion rights in Canada, accessibility issues and the future of abortion protection across the country.

by Stephen Wentzell
June 22, 2023

On June 24, 2022, the world watched in horror as the clock turned back decades in the U.S. in real-time as the Supreme Court overturned the Constitutional right to abortion access.

The move returned the right to abortion to the state level, overruling two landmark cases — Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992).

While the criminalization of reproductive rights in the U.S. has been a cause for concern north of the border, experts like Martha Paynter, author of Abortion to Abolition: Reproductive Health and Justice in Canada, have sought to dispel misconceptions about abortion access in our country.

Continued: https://rabble.ca/health/the-state-of-reproductive-rights-in-canada/

Canada – Rising use of abortion pill shifting the landscape, expert says

Medical abortions now outnumber surgical abortions 2-1 in province

Jacques Poitras · CBC News
May 31, 2023

The increased accessibility of the so-called "abortion pill" in New Brunswick is dramatically changing the reproductive-rights landscape and shifting the terms of the debate, according to an assistant professor at the University of New Brunswick.

Medical abortions, induced by medication, now outnumber surgical abortions by more than two to one, according to new provincial data collected by Martha Paynter, a teacher and researcher in the faculty of nursing.

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/abortion-pill-expert-1.6859533

31.05.2023

New Brunswick Abortion Care Network

Canada – Why don’t we call more abortion clinics ‘abortion clinics’? Language matters, advocates say

Some clinics in Canada are changing their names to be more inclusive

Natalie Stechyson · CBC News
Posted: Feb 18, 2023

Women's Clinic. Choice in Health Clinic. Woman's Health Options.

What do these clinics have in common? They all offer abortion services, although it may not be obvious from the names, and advocates say the names themselves may exclude some of those who need help.

But now, there's a movement within abortion care to be more mindful of the language they use — whether that's to be more inclusive, or drop the euphemisms and be more forthright.

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/abortion-clinics-language-1.6747788

N.B. health workers launch abortion care network on Morgentaler anniversary

Lyndsay Armstrong The Canadian Press
January 26, 2023

Health-care providers in New Brunswick are launching a new abortion services network ahead of Saturday’s 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Morgentaler decision.

The New Brunswick Abortion Care Network’s 20 founding members _ who are in nursing, pharmacy, family medicine and obstetrics _ aim to increase access to and awareness of provincial abortion care, said Martha Paynter, a nursing professor and spokesperson for the new group.

Continued: https://q107.com/news/9438959/n-b-health-workers-launch-abortion-care-network-on-morgentaler-anniversary/

26.01.2023

New Brunswick Abortion Care Network

Canada

Activism

Health

Canada – The fight for reproductive justice is an abolitionist struggle

Review | October 3, 2022
by Maya Campo
Abortion to Abolition: Reproductive Health and Justice in Canada by Martha Paynter (Fernwood, 2022).

With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights are coming under increasing attack. However, the mainstream political discourse about reproductive rights and access to abortion too often narrows this discussion in a way that replicates systemic oppression and white supremacy.

Martha Paynter’s new book, Abortion to Abolition, aims to recentre the discussion around a framework of reproductive justice, which Paynter highlights as being developed by women of colour. Paynter takes an intersectional approach to the abortion rights, presenting case studies that highlight systemic issues of colonialism, homophobia and transphobia, racism, and classism that infringe upon reproductive rights in Canada.

Continued: https://springmag.ca/the-fight-for-reproductive-justice-is-an-abolitionist-struggle

How Canadian Abortion Providers Are Preparing For A Potential Uptick of Americans Seeking Care

It’s not clear how many Americans will turn to Canada for abortion care, but clinics are readying as best as they can.

Sarah Ratchford
Updated August 10, 2022

Joyce Arthur’s phone has been ringing nonstop for the past two weeks, and her inbox is filling up relentlessly. She usually fields a lot of requests, but this, she says, is on a whole new level.

Arthur is the executive director of Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, one of three national organizations fighting for improved access to abortion care in Canada. The calls have been coming since the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month, ending the constitutional right to an abortion in the U.S. The fear Americans felt travelled north of the border, and Arthur has been working to keep Canadians up to speed about what it means in this country. The day we speak, she has already taken calls from five reporters—and it’s only late morning.

Continued: https://www.chatelaine.com/living/features-living/canada-abortion-americans/

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/

Canada should focus on abortion access not legislation, advocates say

Canada has no legal restrictions on abortion but the US reversal of Roe v Wade has led to calls for pre-emptive action

Tracey Lindeman in Ottawa
Sun 3 Jul 2022

Abortion advocates are warning that the recent US supreme court ruling overturning Roe v Wade will empower anti-choice groups in Canada to push for restricted access, making a settled matter appear controversial in a country where nearly 80% of people are pro-choice.

A key anti-choice strategy in Canada revolves around enacting abortion legislation – an idea that has been gaining traction amid the fallout of the US court ruling. There is currently no abortion law in Canada, making it the only country in the world where the procedure is totally free of legal restrictions.

Continued, unblocked: https://wapo.st/3yErWkv
(https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jul/03/canada-abortion-access-legislation)

03.07.2022