Ottawa to explore easier access to abortion

OTTAWA— Health Minister Jane Philpott said the federal government will explore how to improve access to abortion services nationwide, but the details remain a mystery.

“Our government firmly supports a woman’s right to choose, and believes that safe and legal abortions should be available to any woman who needs it,” Philpott said in a statement emailed to the Star that had originally been issued in response to a question from CBC News about access to abortion services.

“We know that abortion services remain patchy in parts of the country, and that rural women in particular face barriers to access. Our government will examine ways to better equalize access for all Canadian women,” Philpott, a family physician who became federal health minister earlier this month. The Supreme Court of Canada struck down the provision of the Criminal Code regarding abortion in 1988, but differing provincial regulations, funding levels and even the individual choices of physicians means access to abortion services has always been uneven across the country.

Wait times and coverage vary widely between and even within provinces, with only one in six hospitals offering surgical abortions and access is most difficult for women living in rural communities — including First Nations reserves — who may have to travel long distances to get an abortion.

Prince Edward Island does not provide any abortion services at all, although it does cover the cost of the procedure for provincial residents who obtain an abortion at a hospital in Moncton, N.B., where no referral is needed, or in Halifax, where women need to be referred by a P.E.I. doctor.

Philpott was not available for an interview Tuesday to elaborate on what she has in mind, and spokesman Patrick Gaebel was unable to add many details.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last year that all Liberal MPs would have to vote along pro-choice party lines, but the campaign platform and his ministerial mandate letter to Philpott did not mention anything about improving access to abortion services.