Ottawa an early adopter of abortion pill

Access here already better than in most of Ontario, and will only get better

While some are concerned about the availability of the newly introduced abortion pill, Ottawa patients have better access than most areas of the province, says the head of Planned Parenthood Ottawa.

And, availability should only improve in the coming months.

As of Thursday, women with a valid health card and prescription from their doctor or nurse practitioner will be able to get the publicly funded Mifegymiso for free at participating pharmacies across the province.

The two-medication drug, also known as RU-486, is taken to medically terminate an early pregnancy and can be used by women up to 10 weeks pregnant.

While this is good news for some women looking for an alternative to surgical abortion — particularly those in rural areas — the executive director of Planned Parenthood Ottawa says it will take a while for doctors to get up to speed to prescribe the medication that used to cost Ontarians as much as $425.

“We feel this is really the biggest step in abortion access in Ontario since the Morgentaler decision in 1988 to decriminalize abortion,” said Catherine Macnab.

Planned Parenthood Ottawa had lobbied Dr. Eric Hoskins, the province’s minister of health and long-term care, to provide the pill to Ontarians at no cost.

“We made it really clear that having it available really doesn’t amount to much if people can’t afford it,” she said.

Macnab said only existing abortion providers in Canada who already have a full understanding of abortion are prescribing the drug. This is why only 10 doctors in the province currently prescribe RU486.

Ottawa has two of them — one at a clinic and the other at a hospital, both of which also offer surgical abortions.

“I don’t think there are abortion services in cities of less than 100,000 people, so we are quite lucky in Ottawa,” said Macnab.

“It’s hard for us to complain compared to other parts of the province where they don’t have that option. Once people heard about this new abortion pill, the calls increased, because a lot of people would really rather take a pill at home than go through the clinic process.”

Health Canada approved the use of RU-486 in 2015, three years after it first received an application and 15 years after it was approved in the U.S. The pill, which studies suggest is far less risky than its surgical alternative, has been widely used in Europe for almost three decades.

Planned Parenthood Ottawa has been consulting with a team of doctors in the city to help them “overcome micro-barriers” — such as learning new billing methods and obtaining and training staff on Health Canada-required ultrasound equipment — so they are comfortable handling all aspects of a patient’s care.

Macnab expects doctors who are prescribing the drug will at least triple by the fall.

“What we are anticipating is Ottawa is really going to provide an example for the rest of the province on how we can actually mainstream the abortion pill into regular health services,” she said.

“We want to see that increasing. Just like you go to your doctor about any health issue, and they help you, an unplanned pregnancy should be the same thing.”

I don’t think there are abortion services in cities of less than 100,000 people, so we are quite lucky in Ottawa. It’s hard for us to complain …