N.B. health workers launch abortion care network on Morgentaler anniversary
Health-care providers in New Brunswick are launching a new abortion services network ahead of Saturday's 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Morgentaler decision.
The New Brunswick Abortion Care Network's 20 founding members -- who are in nursing, pharmacy, family medicine and obstetrics -- aim to increase access to and awareness of provincial abortion care, said Martha Paynter, a nursing professor and spokesperson for the new group.
"The most important thing is for the public to understand that abortion is normal, safe and common," said Paynter, who teaches at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton.
Despite provincial restrictions that only fund surgical abortions at three hospitals, safe and accessible medication abortions are widely available across the province, she said.
The network is being launched 35 years after the Jan. 28, 1988, Supreme Court of Canada ruling that upheld an acquittal of abortion advocate Henry Morgentaler and struck down the law that criminalized abortion.
In 2017, New Brunswick became the first province to publicly fund medication abortions, in which a pregnancy is ended by taking two pills.
New Brunswickers can access abortions through primary care services, or they can self-refer to the province's three family planning centres.
The province is home to Clinic 554 in Fredericton -- the former Morgentaler clinic -- which offers abortions, but at an out-of-pocket cost of up to $850.
Paynter said the new network's two major goals are to ensure that residents are aware of the options available and to promote abortion-care training among health professionals across New Brunswick.
"It's wonderful that any family doctor or nurse practitioner could in theory prescribe (a medication abortion), but finding those providers who are confident and competent to do so can be a challenge for patients," she said.
As well, Paynter said the group would like to help broaden the conversation around abortion to include other barriers to care. These include the lack of rural public transit to get people to medical appointments, and the long wait times before new New Brunswickers can secure provincial health cards.
"Let's make this conversation a lot bigger," she said.
"We want to change the conversation to something that is positive, inclusive and that results in expedited access to quality abortion care."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2023.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.