New Brunswick to allow medicare to pay for surgical abortions outside hospitals
“We believe that abortion is health care, and that everyone deserves access to the care that they need, when and where they need it, and so our team is proud to take this one small step,” she told reporters.
Surgical abortions performed outside of hospitals in New Brunswick will now be fully covered by medicare, Premier Susan Holt announced on Thursday. This decision overturns a controversial 1984 rule that had limited the availability of the procedure in the province.
Previously, the government only funded surgical abortions if they were carried out at one of three hospitals: Chaleur Regional Hospital in Bathurst, and Moncton Hospital and Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton. Holt, whose Liberal government was elected last month, emphasized that this change is a crucial step in improving access to abortion services.
“We believe that abortion is health care, and that everyone deserves access to the care they need, when and where they need it,” Holt told reporters, adding that while the decision is a step forward, it won’t result in immediate availability of surgical abortions outside hospitals due to the necessary preparations required for clinics to offer the procedure.
With this change, New Brunswick will now align with most other provinces, where the cost of abortion is covered whether the procedure is done in hospitals or clinics. Health Minister Dr. John Dornan explained that the old rule, from the 1984 Medical Services Payment Act, created significant barriers due to the distances patients had to travel to access the procedure in the three designated hospitals. For instance, a round trip from Edmundston to Bathurst is more than 400 kilometers, which Dornan argued was not accessible.
“It’s 2024 and it’s Canada,” said Dornan. “In 1985 it was included in the Health Care Act that abortion should be accessible to all women in Canada.” He added that removing the barrier to access was crucial to ensure that this health service is available to everyone in the country.
The next step for the government is to collaborate with various groups, including medical societies and regional health authorities, to determine how abortion services will be provided in communities.
The previous Progressive Conservative government had refused to fund surgical abortions outside hospitals, arguing that women across the province could access medical abortions with prescription medication. In response, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association filed a lawsuit in 2021, claiming the restrictions violated the Canada Health Act and constitutional rights.
Harini Sivalingam from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association welcomed the announcement and indicated that the lawsuit would likely be dropped. “We welcome this news to amend the regulations and allow equitable funding for an essential health-care service that will benefit countless women and gender-diverse people in the province,” she said.
Green Party legislature member Megan Mitton expressed cautious optimism, stating that while the government’s announcement is an important first step, she would wait to see how health services are rolled out across the province. “This is an important step that I’m glad is finally happening,” she added.
