Abortion pills can be hard to get in Canada. Demand from the U.S. could make it harder
Global News
Advocates say Canada needs to address domestic barriers to accessing medical abortion ahead of a potential influx of Americans impacted by the fall of Roe v. Wade.
Barriers to accessing abortion pills in Canada need to be addressed immediately as the procedure’s future in the United States comes under threat, advocates warn.
Pro-abortion groups have spent years pushing for universal coverage for medical abortions, which can be done safely at home instead of requiring a trip to a hospital or clinic. But with the prospect of constitutional rights for abortion being stripped away for millions of Americans, those advocates say Canada could see a spillover effect.
“We have to wait and see, but I suspect that we’ll see an increase in orders for (abortion pills) across the United States that could translate to drug shortages for the abortion pill in Canada,” said Dr. Dustin Costescu, an obstetrician-gynaecologist at Hamilton Health Sciences and an associate professor at McMaster University.
“I think people are going to start acquiring doses so that they can use the medication if they need to in the future.”
Fears over the future of abortion access in the U.S. were renewed Monday when a draft document was leaked to Politico suggesting the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that legalized abortion nationwide.
At least 13 states are poised to immediately ban the procedure if the court’s final ruling — expected in June or July of this year — reflects the draft decision. Over a dozen more states may quickly follow suit.
In Canada, the right to abortion is legal but the procedure is not always easily accessible for those who cannot make arrangements to visit a clinic.
Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights (ACSHR) says the average wait time for surgical abortions is one to two weeks, but can climb as high as five weeks for late-term abortion care, which is more rare but can be medically necessary.
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