Amid all the noise, let’s not forget who bubble zones are for

Bill 9 is about women in need and not UCP antics and protesters, Kathy Dawson says.

Despite what you may have heard, Bill 9 isn’t about Jason Kenney. It isn’t about the UCP’s refusal to stick around the legislature. It isn’t even about protesters.

How do we know? Because we regularly meet the Albertans that Bill 9: Protecting Choice for Women Accessing Health Care Act is meant for. Far from government chambers and socialmedia punditry, we hear about the very real struggles to access appropriate reproductive health.

These Albertans are young and pregnant, travelling alone from small rural communities.

They are fleeing an abusive partner, isolated and wary of a shrinking window of escape.

They are women who wish to be pregnant, but for reasons beyond their control, are unable to carry to term.

They are already marginalized for being trans or non-binary.

They are doctors or pharmacists passionate about choice, but conscious of what might happen if they gain a reputation as the health professional who does abortions.

Much of the coverage of Bill 9 has focused on protesters. About the creation of 50-metre “bubble zones” around clinics in Calgary and Edmonton. About the ineffectiveness of existing injunctions to effectively stop the most aggressive protesters. About fines and jail time they could potentially face if this bill passes.

Even more heated conversations have focused on the astonishing reaction of the United Conservative Party, which earlier this week chose to walk out in the middle of a debate. They declared it a game, a distraction, or brushed it off as irrelevant banter from over-caffeinated lefties. In one of the most ironic moments, they claimed they were the victims of harassment.

It’s important to have all of these things on the public record, to know when and where our politicians will stand, and when they will run and hide.

But it’s even more important that we keep remembering who Bill 9 is for.

This legislation is for women, medical practitioners and vulnerable people who face harassment. It’s for Albertans with the very understandable fear of being photographed without their permission. It’s for easing the burden of individuals trapped in impossible situations. And despite the fact the Supreme Court ruled Canada’s abortion laws unconstitutional three decades ago, it’s something still desperately needed in Alberta.

Every day, we still hear from Albertans struggling for access to appropriate reproductive health. We hear that few hospital providers are willing to perform abortions. And we hear from medical professionals still worried about the lingering threat of violence and pressure from colleagues.

We also hear from Albertans trying to get a hold of Mifegymiso, a drug that ends pregnancies, which was made available at no cost last summer by this government. In some parts of the province, some patients still have a tough time finding a pharmacy willing to provide it.

The lack of safe and private access carries dangerous health consequences. Cancers may go undiagnosed, dangerous pregnancies may be carried to term at risk to the mother. Rural patients may be forced to travel down unfamiliar roads to navigate difficult choices, simply because they have no other options. The last thing these people need is to face anti-choice gauntlets.

Our coalition is happy to finally see a government willing to act, to introduce legislation to protect access to essential reproductive services. This bill would protect pharmacies. It would protect doctors and staff. And it would protect the people who need it most.

This bill represents decades of work, of missed opportunities to follow the lead of British Columbia. It is the result of a government with enough courage to stand with people, to do something other provinces are doing across the country. Bill 9 is about continuing to change the conversation of abortion to a necessary, common medical procedure.

So despite what you might hear, it is not about freedom of speech. It’s not about anything Jason Kenney has or hasn’t said.

Ultimately, it’s about the people we hear from every day.