N.B. advocates plan rallies, fundraisers to support U.S. and Canadian abortion access organizations
After a weekend full of rallies and protests across North America, the outrage after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe V. Wade hasn’t died down.
Jenna Lyn Albert is planning for more in New Brunswick, where abortion access has been a challenging and divisive issue for decades.
“It's scary and it can feel helpless, and I think that's what a lot of folks are feeling is that - we're not sure what we can do,” they said.
Albert is planning a rally and fundraisers over the coming weeks, hoping to show support towards organizations on both sides of the border.
“Part of the proceeds will go towards folks in New Brunswick or in Atlantic Canada that are seeking help with abortion access and part of those funds will be going to some of the American organizations that are trying to support folks who do not have abortion access in certain states,” they said.
Access has been top-of-mind for many in Fredericton and all of New Brunswick, where abortions are limited to hospitals – and only hospitals in Moncton and Bathurst.
Clinic 554 – formally a Dr. Henry Morgentaler clinic – is slated to close, after trying to offer abortions, at a cost to the clinic and patients.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is challenging the restriction in court.
Registered nurse and Dalhousie University expert who specializes in abortion and reproductive care, Martha Paynter, reminds everyone that the procedure is health care.
“So, it is treated no differently than a knee replacement or a prescription for antibiotics,” she said.
Paynter says access has improved. In Nova Scotia, a provincial self-referral line gives patients the information they need to access a medical or surgical abortion.
Prince Edward Island opened a women's reproductive health centre in 2017, offering abortions.
But it doesn’t take away from the outrage so many are feeling, she says.
“This is a threat, not only to the body's inherent worth, but to democracy. You can't participate in civil society if you don't have control over the size of your family, when you get to go to education, what type of a job you're going to have and whether your body is safe,” she said.
The Campaign Life Coalition said in a statement after the ruling that it’s “only a matter of time before life will be winning in Canada too.”
Those who’ve been fighting for access for some time are promising to continue – despite it being exhausting.
“It's frustrating, as a person with a uterus in this province, as a queer person in this province, to keep shouting and screaming and fighting for it,” said Albert.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.
Significant police presence as Israeli flag flies at Ottawa City Hall
The Israeli flag is flying at Ottawa City Hall today to mark the country's national day, with plans to hold a private ceremony to mark Israel's Independence Day. There is a significant police presence at City Hall, including security barriers outside the main doors.