Feds pledge $3.5M for reproductive health services

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This article was published 11/05/2022 (1424 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The federal government is moving to improve access to abortion and reproductive health information in Canada.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced on Wednesday more than $3.5 million in funding for two initiatives that are involved with reproductive health.

Action Canada will receive $2.1 million over three years to improve information and referral services. The funding will also be used to cover some travel and accommodation costs for people seeking abortions.

The National Abortion Federation Canada will get $1.4 million in funding also over three years to train health-care providers to perform abortions and ensure facilities have the capacity to provide the service.

“These investments reflect our belief that women and women alone have the right to make decisions about their bodies, as well as our unequivocal commitment to ensure comprehensive and accessible reproductive health care for all in Canada,” Duclos said.

This is not new funding, he said. It’s coming from a $45-million commitment over three years that was announced in the latest federal budget.

“In 2022, in this country, sexual and reproductive rights are human rights — plain and simple,” said Duclos. “The situation now ongoing in the United States does remind us that we cannot take our rights for granted.”

Last week, a leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, a decision that legalized abortion across the country, brought the contentious procedure back into the spotlight.

While that is an American legal issue, Canada’s Women and Gender Equality Minister Marci Ien said she has grave concerns about the draft opinion and what it could mean for women.

“Many of the women that I’ve talked to, some had to pause, just to reflect on the information because it was hard to look at that. Canadian women know, and they know well, that it’s important to protect this.”

In the Liberals’ last election platform, the party promised to establish regulations under the Canada Health Act to ensure access to reproductive services across the country.

Ien said those same abortion services would be accessible to American women, but they will have to pay for it themselves either out of pocket or through private insurance.

Seven more announcements related to the fund will be made in the coming months, but Duclos did not elaborate. This commitment promises to fund efforts to increase accessibility for vulnerable populations, train people to provide the service, create public awareness campaigns and provide logistical support to people who have to travel long distances to access abortion services.

“What is the point of having a right to something that is impossible to access?” said Frederique Chabot, director of health promotion for Action Canada. “Making sure abortion is accessible to everyone is the conversation that matters.”

In earlier comments, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said after the draft opinion was leaked, he asked Duclos and Ien to look at the legal framework around abortion to be sure that reproductive rights for women are protected now and into the future.

Currently, there is no federal law in Canada governing access to abortion. Former Progressive Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney attempted to pass legislation on abortion after the Supreme Court’s 1988 R. v. Morgentaler decision, but failed. In a 5-2 decision, written by Chief Justice Brian Dickson, the court ruled that Section 251 of the Criminal Code — which banned abortions except those approved by a committee of doctors — violated Section 7 of the charter, which guarantees the right to life, liberty and the security of the person.

The Sun contacted the local Women’s Resource Centre and the Sexuality Education Resource Centre for comment but didn’t receive a response by press time.

» kmckinley@brandonsun.com, with files from The Canadian Press

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