REGINA - Today, Official Opposition Status of Women Critic Jennifer Bowes and Democracy and Ethics Critic Meara Conway called on Scott Moe’s Sask. Party government to start fixing Saskatchewan’s uneven patchwork of abortion services by introducing a province-wide intake system and establishing surgical abortion centres in Saskatoon and Prince Albert.
“Premier Moe and his Sask. Party ministers are making it harder for people across Saskatchewan to access sound medical advice and safe abortion procedures,” said Bowes. “Saskatchewan people deserve a government that will take their health seriously and stop politicizing access to abortions.”
The Official Opposition was joined at the Legislature by the leadership of Planned Parenthood Regina, Abortion is Healthcare, Saskatoon Sexual Health, Regina Abortion Support Network and abortion providers who took to the front steps before question period to draw attention to government-imposed barriers restricting access to safe abortion services.
Women in rural and remote communities often have to undergo two-day trips for safe abortions and like those in large urban centres have to navigate disjointed and uneven access. Saskatoon and Prince Albert do not have surgical abortion centres akin to what exists in Regina. And without a central intake system, women outside self-referral zones like Regina have fewer options for discreet medical advice and often have to obtain a referral from their local doctor.
“It’s faster for some American women to cross state lines than it is for women in remote Saskatchewan communities to get medical help when they need it,” said Conway. “Platitudes and words of support simply won’t do when Saskatchewan people are consistently denied adequate access to this important service. We need action today.”
-30-