Clinic 554 in Fredericton. (Image: Facebook)
Ottawa says access to sexual and reproductive health care will be part of any future discussions with provinces and territories on health care transfers.
The federal government noted in its tabled 2021 budget that “examples like Clinic 554 New Brunswick’s only private abortion clinic show us that lack of funding puts access to sexual and reproductive health care at risk”.
“The Government is committed to collaboration with provinces and territories to strengthen our health care system, ensuring equitable and appropriate access to a full suite of reproductive and sexual health services, in any upcoming Canada Health Transfer funding discussions.”
Jessi Taylor, spokesperson for Reproductive Justice New Brunswick, said they’re pleased that abortion services and how the provincial government is violating the health rights of residents are recognized as a problem at a national level.
“There’s been so much support the last few years, particularly as Clinic 554 has had to shutter many of its services,” she said.
Taylor said among key supporters are the efforts of the NDP along with Fredericton Green MP Jenica Atwin.
She said the work of Saint John-Rothesay MP Wayne Long has pushed the Liberals to make this issue come to the front of their agendas, which is vital.
I will always stand up for the Charter-protected rights of women and trans people in Saint John–Rothesay; that's why I…
Posted by Wayne Long on Thursday, August 6, 2020
The tabled budget also wants to fund community-based organizations that will provide sexual and reproductive health care information and services in the effort to make these more accessible.
This will also include “providing travel and logistical support to individuals who have to go long distances to access abortion care.”
Taylor said the federal government focusing on facilitating travel is encouraging and important because of how rural Canada is.
“New Brunswickers when they cannot access services in their own communities all have to travel, and depending on where you live in the province, accessing services in a hospital in New Brunswick can require up to 14 hours of driving and that’s if you’re getting services within the province,” she said.
Taylor said a concern is the funding sent to community-based organizations. She said this happens most often when provincial governments are trying to save money or are refusing to provide services for some other reason meaning they drop the ball.
She said the fact that it’s now required for the provincial government to discuss how they’re doing with the access and support to reproductive and sexual health services is significant and meaningful.
“We have a government that has been antagonistic to womens’ health and other people who have uteruses who need care, who are accessing care or are trying to access care and they’ve been abandoned by the province which refuses to provide proper funding,” said Taylor.
“We’ve heard horror stories this last month of people having to pay out of pocket for services and people who are refused treatment unless they get to a certain level of somehow worse than what three emergency visits would take and New Brunswickers deserve better than this.”
Taylor said governments need to not look at nonprofits as a way to save money or cut services elsewhere, but to give them extra support because they’re at the forefront of what communities to do.
Statistics Canada will also receive $7.6 million over five years to develop and implement a national survey on sexual and reproductive health.
The budget states because there are no existing resources that collect data on the wide range of sexual and reproductive health indicators in Canada, it limits its ability to target supports.
