Intro for June 30, 2022

Government of Canada announces increased funding after being called out by UN in 2016 for disparities in access to abortion; especially concerning is there are more crisis pregnancy centers in Canada than abortion providers

Intro for June 30, 2022

Dear Gossips,

Tomorrow is a federal holiday in Canada so we’ll be dark and will return to regular posting schedule on Monday. Since it’s the Canada Day long weekend though, let’s talk about Canada – we did a segment yesterday on The Social with information I’m not sure many Canadians are aware of.

Even though abortion is legal in Canada, did you know that in 2016, the United Nations called out Canada for “continued disparities in access to abortion”? That is particularly true for people seeking abortions who live in rural areas. There are ZERO rural abortion providers in Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, PEI, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon.

Last month the Government of Canada announced an increase in funding for projects that “will improve access by removing barriers to vital abortion services and offer accurate reproductive health information to Canadians” – and that’s just a start… because there’s a LOT of work to be done. Access to abortion begins with access to accurate information and as we said in our segment on The Social yesterday, when people go online for information, the top searches direct them to “crisis pregnancy centers”.

According to Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights:

“Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are anti-abortion organizations disguised as clinics that provide counseling and other prenatal services. They often provide inaccurate information about abortion or pregnancy options. This may delay or interfere with access to abortion and contraceptive services and improperly influence reproductive health decisions.”

What’s especially concerning is there are MORE crisis pregnancy centers in Canada than there are abortion providers. Once again, in Canada, there are more CPCs – places that have been known to be supported by forced birthers, that deliberately misinform people about their options – than abortion providers. In some provinces, the difference is double or even triple.

In Ontario, for example, there are only 38 abortion providers to 77 crisis pregnancy centers. In Alberta, there are just 5 abortion providers but 21 CPCs….

21 to 5!

This is outrageous. So, um, yeah, we should all be helping do a better job getting accurate information out there.

The National Abortion Federation promotes, enhances, and ensures access to quality abortion care.

Choice Connect helps people find their nearest abortion provider with an app that features information for more than 120 abortion providers across Canada. The app is anonymous and free to use.

Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights is a pro-choice charitable organization committed to advancing and upholding sexual and reproductive health and rights in Canada and globally.

Please amplify the work of these organisations, share their links in your communities, and support them through donations if you can. As Frederique Chabot, the director of domestic Health at Action Canada said recently, “As a country, we say we are pro-choice and that we care. But to be pro-choice, we need to be able to offer the choice in the first place”.

Yours in gossip,

Lainey