Clinic 554 in Fredericton. (Image: Facebook)
An advocacy group is asking the newly elected government to repeal 84-20 s2 a.1 of the Medical Services Payment Act.
This doesn’t allow Medicare to cover abortion procedures outside of hospitals.
Jessi Taylor, spokesperson for Reproductive Justice New Brunswick said this breaks the Canada Health Act.
“And so we recognize the impact that this election and really, no matter who is elected, it’s going to have on our human rights, our very practical day to day access to medical care including abortion services,” she said.
Taylor said its loss will result in 2000-3000 people losing access to a family doctor service, which will put more pressure on walk-in clinics and ER services.
In 2018 Statistics Canada estimated that more than nine per cent of the province’s population are without a family doctor. or 70,000 New Brunswickers.
“So New Brunswickers everywhere are really concerned about this closure in part because the closure of Clinic 554 means that they can’t have similar services in their own areas and that’s because we still have to deal with a repeal of 84-20,” she said.
During the campaigning period, Premier Blaine Higgs told our newsroom if anyone feels the province is not following the Canada Health Act, they have every right to pursue legal action.
Taylor said being told to take Higgs to court is a slap in the face.
“I don’t know how many different mechanisms and ways you need to be told that you’re breaking the Canada Health Act before people that you mean it this time so Higg’s story as to what he’ll believe and what evidence he needs that he’s breaking the Canada Health Act changes greatly,” she said.
Clinic 554 in Fredericton is struggling to stay open and is seeking government funding to continue operating.
The clinic offers HIV care, contraception counselling and various types of contraception, as well as hormone readiness assessments, hormone replacement therapy, trans-positive pelvic and chest exams, and pre- and post-surgical care for transgender persons.
Its practice employs a harm-reduction and trauma-informed model.
