AccessBC

On a broader economic scale, free contraception saves taxpayer dollars. B.C.-based Options for Sexual Health estimates that for every $1 spent on contraceptive support for an individual, taxpayers may save up to $90 in future social support. In Canada, up to 40 per cent of pregnancies are unintended and more than half of these unintended pregnancies occur in people not using contraception. The direct cost associated with unintended pregnancies per year in Canada is upwards of $320 million.

A large majority of Albertans support the idea of the government providing universal access to free birth control, suggests a new poll from a Calgary-based public relations firm. ThinkHQ, an Alberta public and government relations and opinion research firm, provided the poll to CBC. It found that 74 per cent of Albertans surveyed approve of the idea of free prescription birth control while only 18 per cent disapprove.

A large majority of Albertans support the idea of the government providing universal access to free birth control, suggests a new poll from a Calgary-based public relations firm. ThinkHQ, an Alberta public and government relations and opinion research firm, provided the poll to CBC. It found that 74 per cent of Albertans surveyed approve of the idea of free prescription birth control while only 18 per cent disapprove.

Response was positive and swift to the Alberta NDP’s recent election promise to provide universal access to free prescription contraception, says the NDP’s critic for women’s issues.

“Since we first made this commitment in Edmonton last week I’ve been overwhelmed with feedback from Albertans about the monumental impact that this will have on their lives,” said NDP critic for women’s issues Janis Irwin in Red Deer on Thursday.

This common-sense approach to health care inspires hope that Manitoba might also follow in the footsteps of British Columbia, which just announced that as of April 1, prescription birth control will be available free of charge. The province will cover the cost of four common methods of birth control: oral hormone pills, commonly known as the pill; subdermal injections and implants; copper and hormonal intrauterine devices, also known as IUDs; and Plan B (the morning-after pill).

Québec solidaire on Sunday reiterated a desire from last year’s election campaign to make prescription birth control products available free of charge. The party is taking a page out of British Columbia’s book: For residents of that province, prescription contraceptives will be free as of April 1. According to a report by The Canadian Press, the plan, rolled out in the provincial budget announced Feb. 28, anticipates a cost of $119 million over three years and will cover options including oral hormone pills, contraceptive injections, copper and intrauterine devices and subdermal implants, as well as the morning-after pill.

Prescription contraception will soon be free in B.C. after the province became the first in Canada to unveil the program as part of its 2023 budget. The move has groups in other provinces excited and hopeful the same will happen across the country. Advocates say not only do governments save money on health-care costs when they provide birth control for free, but the policy improves the quality of life for those who need it.

Du 13 au 17 février se déroulait la Semaine de sensibilisation à la santé sexuelle et reproductive et le nouveau Réseau de soins d'avortement du Nouveau-Brunswick en profite pour demander à la province d'offrir une couverture universelle des frais de contraception.

Amélie en a discuté avec la Dre Martha Paynter, porte-parole du Réseau des soins d'avortement du N.-B.

As the Canadian federal government faces calls to improve access to abortion, advocates are now also calling for better access to all types of birth control. Canada's Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced $3.5 million for two organizations to help expand access to abortion. But that's just a small portion of a $45 million promised in last year's budget. Advocates say there are lots of other ways to spend the money, including on universal access to all forms of contraception. Global’s Abigail Bimman explains why it's a complicated topic and how politicians are responding.

Everyone has sexual health over the course of their entire lives. This morning I was invited to speak to the Nova Scotia Standing Committee on Health about access to birth control and sexual health services, and I used this opportunity to remind the new PC government that the universal experience of sexual health should be reflected in how the health system is funded. Yet the recently released provincial budget had hardly any new funding to address these basic needs, and there are glaring gaps in access to services across the province.

Members of the Manitoba Medical Students’ Association’s (MMSA) student advocacy committee met with representatives from Manitoba’s three main political parties last week as part of its Provincial Day of Action. Each year, the committee chooses a health-related issue and lobbies the Manitoba government for change.

A new bill presented by the Nova Scotia NDP proposes prescription contraceptives, like birth control and intrauterine devices (IUDs), be covered under the provincial health care.
 

Legislation tabled by the NDP Caucus would ensure anyone without coverage would be able to get birth control under the provincial MSI plan.