Canada faces struggles to become abortion safe haven after Roe v. Wade ruling: experts

Experts say more needs to be done to reduce the stigma surrounding the procedure and incentivize provinces and territories to offer care.

Canada still faces its own disparities in abortion access and may struggle to act as a “safe haven” for Americans impacted by the overturning of Roe v. Wade, advocates north of the border say.

Although Canadian officials are promising to ensure abortion access and have committed some funding to that effort, experts say more needs to be done to reduce the stigma surrounding the procedure and incentivize provinces and territories to offer care.

“What happened in the U.S. is very scary, and it’s certainly something we have to be vigilant about,” said Insiya Mankani, public affairs officer for Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights.

“At the same time, we need to continue to make sure that there is better access to abortion across this country. And I think the federal government can certainly play a role in that.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday promised to defend abortion rights in Canada and around the world after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion.

He called the court’s decision a “devastating setback” for American women, who will now face tremendous disparities in access depending on which state they live in. Several states moved immediately to ban abortions in the hours after the ruling.

“Quite frankly, it’s an attack on everyone’s freedoms and rights,” Trudeau said from the Commonwealth summit in Kigali, Rwanda.

“It shows how much standing up and fighting for rights matters every day, that we can’t take anything for granted.”