Key Takeaways:
- About 100 people protested the lack of fair and inexpensive access to abortions in the territory on the lawn of the New Brunswick legislature.
- Dr. Adrian Edgar, who formerly owned Clinic 554, has been a fervent advocate for abortion rights and treatment for transgender and gay persons.
On the lawn of the New Brunswick assembly, about 100 individuals voiced their concerns about the lack of equal and affordable access to abortions in the territory.
Following the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which established the constitutional right to an abortion, which the American Supreme Court reversed, thousands marched in other regions of Canada and the U.S. at the time of the event.
The organizers also wanted to demonstrate how terrible life is in New Brunswick and Canada.
Because of this, organizer Jenna Lyn Albert stated, “We offer our (support), our wrath, and our voices to Americans affected by these developments.” “Living in New Brunswick, we know all too well the limitations to abortion access and 2SLGBGTQIA+ healthcare,” she added.
Abortions by surgical means cannot be carried out outside New Brunswick’s hospital.
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There are three hospitals where one can get an abortion: two in Moncton and one in Bathurst. Advocates have argued repeatedly that it denies many people in the province equitable access to the services.
Former Clinic 554 owner Dr. Adrian Edgar has been a passionate supporter of abortions and healthcare for trans and queer people.
The former Morgentaler clinic, which had its issues because it lacked provincial funding at the time, was taken over by Edgar. When Edgar took control, it was about to shut down.
According to Edgar, New Brunswick’s laws on surgical abortions are among the harshest.
In an interview on Saturday, he claimed, “New Brunswick is just so far beyond the rest of Canada regarding gender as well as reproductive healthcare. However, the events in the United States bring to light how terrible the situation is for many people.
He continues to do surgical abortions, but they are extremely expensive—nearly $800.
He stated to the audience, “Our policymakers don’t care about what is best for us. They are interested in controlling us.
Several organizations in the province, notably the Civil Liberties Association, have requested that Regulation 84-20, forbids abortions outside of hospitals, be repealed.
The current Progressive Conservative administration has shown a lack of interest in doing so. In reaction to the province’s stance on abortions, the federal government reduced health transfers to the province, although it refrained from enforcing the Canada Health Act.
These rules are there on purpose, said Edgar. The objective was to deny women their right to bodily autonomy, violating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The only province in Canada that prohibits abortions outside of a hospital in New Brunswick.
However, many advocates also felt outraged and resentful among the posters that read “my body, my choice” and “keep your rosaries off my ovaries.”
Jennifer Stairs, the executive director of the New Brunswick New Democratic Party, said, “Why the hell are we still doing this? For f—ing sakes, enough is enough. I’m not confident what it will take for New Brunswickers to proclaim that enough is enough.
Source: Global News
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