A pair of abortion doulas in southwestern Ontario states that Canadians should not have access to safe and legal abortions. Includes vacations, lack of financial resources, distance from city-centered clinics, and more.
Christal Malone in London and Jennifer Surerus in St. Thomas help people across the country access safe abortions as seamlessly and easily as possible.
Unlike doctors and nurses, their role stops before medical care. Instead, it provides a range of physical and emotional support, from picking someone up from the airport to putting a thermometer in your mouth, to raising your shoulders and crying.
"We are trying to help people make the choices they need, and we are not trying to convince people to do anything," Surerus said. Told. "Often people don't get [support] from family and friends."
Abortion is legal, but it accesses the problem
Unlike the United States, where the legal situation of abortion has undergone a radical change following a groundbreaking Supreme Court ruling, invalidates the constitutional right to abortion. For the first time in 50 years, Canada has no law restricting access to procedures.
Abortion is legal in this country for whatever reason. This procedure is also publicly paid through a combination of federal and state health care systems, but Canadians should not take it for granted just because it is not illegal in Canada. ..
"I think it's a bit too self-righteous here. You can take a break from transportation, childcare, and work — Everything affects the access equation."
This is a national issue, but it probably feels most serious in Canada's Atlantic region. In the Atlantic region of Canada, abortion restrictions are highest and the federal government is refraining from health-care funding for states that did not provide adequate access .
In Ontario, there were 21,428 abortions in 2020, according to the Canadian Abortion Union. More than 15,000 of them were done in private clinics, and just over 5,000 were done in state hospitals.
Urban and rural disparities
Despite the number of procedures, there are disparities between urban and rural areas in Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. 40 percent of the population living in rural or remote communities.
Charities cite where they live as the biggest barrier to access to safe care, with more than half of callers supporting flights, accommodation and other travel expenses. He says he needs it.
"It's pretty miserable," Malone said. “If you live in a rural area, it is very difficult to access an abortion and it is very time consuming and expensive to access a particular type of abortion.”
Over 400,000 people Even London, the hometown of the city of Malone, has only one clinic. Serving people not only in southwestern Ontario, but also to Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, the states with the most restricted access to abortion. doing.
If a patient arrives at a clinic in London, he or she must attend at least three appointments before the healthcare professional agrees to perform the procedure.
"It can be very difficult to take a break from work or use transportation, and many people leave early in the morning, so if they are not in the area Must come. The day before accessing the service. "
Action Abortion-rights charities such as Canada can help fill economic gaps and connect abortion seekers with doulas such as Thrells and Malone.
Ontario has nearly doubled the number of crisis pregnancy centers. According to Action Canada, it is 77 compared to 38 hospitals and clinics that provide access to abortion.
"There is a strong anti-selection here, which has a political component," Threls said.