Halifax, N.S. (May 29, 2014) ­ Nova Scotians will join together today at Victoria Park to express their outrage and solidarity with New Brunswickers who are fighting for reproductive justice and equality. New Brunswickers are currently denied their charter rights to bodily autonomy through restrictions placed on access to abortions that require women, trans* or gender queer people to jump through hoops required in no other province or territory and that have no medical basis.  

 

"On the first anniversary of Morgentaler's death, the rally is an opportunity for Nova Scotians to honour his work and to join in the National Call for Action to improve access to abortion in New Brunswick.  We are calling for regulation 84­20 to be repealed, and for public funding of the Fredericton clinic". Martha Paynter, co­chair, Halifax LEAF (The Women's Legal Education and Action Fund), rally organizer.  

 

People across Canada were galvanized recently into prochoice activism after the recent news that the Morgentaler Clinic in Fredericton, New Brunswick, the only private abortion clinic East of Montreal, will be closing its doors at the end of July. While many have been vocal about their displeasure with existing abortion access restrictions, the closure of the clinic, which has provided more than half the abortions annually in the province, is a lightning rod that has reinvigorated efforts to ensure improved access. It is also a strong reminder of the work that Dr. Henry Morgentaler did for women across the country. 

 

The goal of today’s rally is to push for the Government of New Brunswick to remove its restrictions on abortion access. Specifically, we call on them to immediately repeal Regulation 84­20, Schedule 2(a.1). This states that an abortion will only be covered by Medicare if: 

 

1.       It is performed in a hospital by a specialist in the field of obstetrics or gynaecology and that 

2.       Two doctors have certified in writing that the procedure is ‘medically necessary’. 

 

We also call on them to repeal Section 2.01 of the Medical Services Payment Act that prohibits government funding of “entitled services furnished in a private hospital facility in the Province (of New Brunswick)”.  

 

LEAF is a National organization working on feminist litigation, legal reform, and education to advance substantive equality for women and girls. See leaf.ca.