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
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
DEVELOPING Trump trial arrives at a pivotal moment: Star witness Michael Cohen is poised to take the stand
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
India's mammoth election is more than halfway done as millions begin voting in fourth round
Millions of Indians across 96 constituencies began casting their ballots on Monday as the country's gigantic, six-week-long election edges past its halfway mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term with an eye on winning a supermajority in Parliament.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.