Abortion Access In New Brunswick

Abortion is a legal procedure in Canada, but accessing the procedure in New Brunswick is challenging. The province has been criticised for imposing obstacles to obtaining abortions, with inadequate services and restrictive policies. There are limited locations to obtain an abortion in New Brunswick, and costs can be prohibitive.

Abortion services in New Brunswick hospitals

The hospitals that offer surgical abortions are:

• Family Planning Clinic, Chaleur Regional Hospital in Bathurst: 506-544-4150
• Family Planning Clinic, Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton: 506-869-2770
• Family Planning Clinic, Moncton Hospital: 1-844-806-9205

These hospitals offer surgical abortions up to 13 weeks and six days of pregnancy. After 16 weeks of pregnancy, some clinics elsewhere in Canada offer surgical abortions.

Medication abortions are also covered by Medicare and may be provided by your family doctor or nurse practitioner. The following hospitals offer medication abortions:

• Fredericton Northside Community Health Centre: 506-447-4444
• St. John Sexual Health Centre: 506-658-3998
• Moncton City Hospital Family Planning Clinic: 1-844-806-9205

The Moncton Family Planning Clinic offers both medication and surgical abortions up to 15 weeks and 6 days. The Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton and the Bathurst Family Planning Clinic, Chaleur Regional Hospital in Bathurst offer medication and surgical abortions up to 13 weeks and 6 days.

It is important to note that accessing abortion services in New Brunswick hospitals can be challenging due to long distances and the requirement for multiple appointments. There is also a lack of gynecologists providing abortions, which can result in delays. Additionally, the requirement for certification from two doctors that the abortion is 'medically necessary' has been a barrier for some women seeking abortions.

The Morgentaler Clinic

Morgentaler opened his first abortion clinic in Montreal in 1969, challenging what he saw as an unjust law placing burdensome restrictions on women seeking abortions. He was the first doctor in North America to use vacuum aspiration and went on to open twenty clinics and train more than one hundred doctors.

The Fredericton clinic, which opened in June 1994, was the result of Morgentaler's desire to bring safe and accessible abortion care to the Maritime provinces. It was originally called the Morgentaler Clinic but was renamed Clinic 554 in January 2015. In addition to abortions, the clinic provided sexual and reproductive health services, contraception, cancer screening, and prenatal care.

The clinic was forced to close in July 2014 due to a lack of funding. The province's Department of Health refused to cover abortions performed at the clinic, making New Brunswick the only province in Canada with a private abortion clinic that wasn't funded by Medicare. The clinic charged between $700 and $850 for the procedure, depending on how far along the pregnancy was.

The closure of the Morgentaler Clinic left women in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island without access to clinic-based abortions and with limited options for reproductive health services. The majority of abortions in New Brunswick were performed at the Morgentaler Clinic, with the remaining taking place at two hospitals in Moncton and one in Bathurst. These hospitals were located far from many residents, requiring them to take time off work and pay for travel and accommodations, making the procedure inaccessible for many.

The closure of the Morgentaler Clinic highlighted the need for improved access to abortion services in New Brunswick and the removal of barriers that restricted women's reproductive rights.

The cost of an abortion

Abortion in a Clinic

Abortion in a clinic is not covered by Medicare in New Brunswick. The cost of an abortion in a clinic ranges from $700 to $850, depending on how far along the pregnancy is. The Morgentaler Clinic in Fredericton, now known as Clinic 554, charged between $700 and $800 for the procedure. However, as of February 1, 2024, Clinic 554 no longer provides abortions.

Abortion in a Hospital

Abortion in a hospital is covered by Medicare in New Brunswick, but only if the abortion is performed by a gynecologist in a hospital and certified in writing as "medically necessary" by two physicians. The average cost of a hospital abortion in New Brunswick is $863.29.

Abortion Pill

The abortion pill, Mifegymiso, is available free of charge to women with a valid Medicare card. However, only 24 doctors and pharmacists in New Brunswick have completed or registered for the training required to prescribe and dispense the drug.

Additional Costs

Regardless of the type of abortion chosen, there may be additional costs involved, such as travel to and from the abortion location, accommodations, and childcare. These costs can quickly add up, especially for those who live far from abortion providers or have other financial constraints.

The right to a legal, safe abortion

Abortion has been a legal procedure in Canada since the 1988 decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. Morgentaler. However, accessing a legal and safe abortion in New Brunswick is challenging due to restrictive policies and inadequate services. Here are some key points regarding the right to a legal and safe abortion in the province:

Limited Abortion Services

New Brunswick has very few abortion providers, making it one of the hardest places in Canada to obtain an abortion. There are only three hospitals that offer abortion services: Moncton Hospital, Georges Dumont Hospital in Moncton, and Chaleur Regional Hospital in Bathurst. Additionally, there is one independent clinic, Clinic 554 (formerly known as the Morgentaler Clinic), located in Fredericton. However, as of February 1, 2024, Clinic 554 is no longer providing abortion services due to funding issues. This leaves many individuals in New Brunswick with limited options for accessing abortion care.

Financial Barriers

Abortion services in hospitals are covered by provincial health care (Medicare). However, abortions performed in clinics, such as Clinic 554, are not reimbursed by Medicare in New Brunswick. This means that individuals have to pay out of pocket, with costs ranging from $700 to $850, creating a financial barrier for many, especially low-income individuals. The lack of funding for clinic-based abortions has been an ongoing issue, with the province repeatedly refusing to fund these services.

Obstacles to Access

In the past, New Brunswick had a requirement that two doctors must certify in writing that an abortion was medically necessary for it to be covered by Medicare. This requirement posed a significant obstacle to access, particularly for individuals without a family doctor or with anti-choice doctors. Although this rule was lifted in 2014, other barriers remain. The distance to abortion providers is a challenge, as 76% of the province's population is located far from the hospitals offering abortion services. This means individuals have to take time off work and pay for travel, accommodation, and childcare, making the procedure unaffordable for many.

The Right to Equal Access

The struggle for equal access to abortion in New Brunswick continues. Abortion rights advocates and organizations are calling for the repeal of restrictive regulations, such as Section 84-20 of the Medical Services Payment Act, which violates women's constitutional rights and the principles of the Canada Health Act. They are demanding publicly funded abortions, regardless of whether they are performed in hospitals or clinics, to ensure equal access for all individuals in the province.

Abortion access in rural areas

The UNB study found that more than 60% of clinic abortions at Clinic 554, an inclusive family practice that provides abortions for a fee, occur before the ninth week of pregnancy. In contrast, only 30% of hospital abortions countrywide are done within this time frame. This suggests that people are paying out of pocket for abortions at Clinic 554 despite the availability of funded hospital abortions in some parts of the province. The study also noted that the provincial government's policy of not funding clinic-based abortions results in significant access delays and is out of step with the rest of the country.

In addition to the financial burden, those seeking abortions in rural areas of New Brunswick face other challenges. The province offers a total of four places to get an abortion: three hospitals where the cost of the procedure is covered by provincial health care, and one independent clinic, Clinic 554, where it is not. Two of the hospitals offering abortions, Moncton Hospital and Georges Dumont Hospital, are located in Moncton, while the Chaleur Regional Hospital is in Bathurst, 220 kilometres north of Moncton. This means that 76% of the province's population is hundreds of kilometres away from any access at all. When these individuals need abortions, they must take time off work and pay for travel, accommodation, and potentially childcare as well.

Furthermore, until 2014, New Brunswick required that two doctors sign off on the medical necessity of all abortions offered at hospitals, creating additional barriers and delays for those seeking abortions. While this requirement has since been lifted, the lack of adequate reproductive health care in New Brunswick, particularly in rural areas, continues to be a concern.

Frequently asked questions