Online searches by Americans asking ‘how to move to Canada’ surge after Roe v. Wade ruling
After the landmark Roe v. Wade decision was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court last week, there was a spike in online searches for “how to move to Canada from U.S.”
The phrase surged by 850 per cent in the hour after the ruling, Axios reported. The data came from a Google Trends newsletter June 24. At the same time, it also revealed the search for “how to become a Canadian citizen” surged by 550 per cent.
In May, when a draft of the ruling leaked, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould said Americans would be able to get an abortion in Canada. If they need access, she said in a CBC News Network interview, “that’s a service that would be provided.”
They would have to pay “out-of-pocket or by their own private insurance if they are not covered by a provincial health insurance, by the Interim Federal Health Program or Non-insured Health Benefits,” a spokesperson for Gould told CBC.
Those coming from the U.S. to Canada would also need money to travel and a passport — which vulnerable women “most likely” would not have, Bloor West Village Women’s Clinic counsellor Sheri Kreiger told Bloomberg.
“Certainly we’re open and here to help in any way we can, 100 per cent, that’s for sure, but at this moment we have no sense of what’s going to happen,” she said.
In Canada, abortions are less expensive than in the U.S., at around $500, whereas in Michigan, for example, an abortion could cost anywhere from US$600 to US$900, according to spokesperson for the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics Carolyn Egan. Other than the price tag, another issue is accessibility. It’s possible that clinics could be overwhelmed, director of health promotion at Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights Frédérique Chabot told Bloomberg. She said wait times could become “insurmountable.”
Canadian women who previously might have travelled to the U.S. for an abortion will face even more barriers due to the Roe v. Wade reversal, especially if they do not live near a major city with ample abortion services.
“Please don’t say how relieved you are to be Canadian. Many Canadians experience restrictive barriers to access,” the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada tweeted.
Americans are now also concerned about data that can potentially be collected and sold by period tracker apps, which help women keep tabs on their menstrual cycles and ovulation.