News 1130, Feb. 26, 2020

Two Vancouver city councillors want all birth control in B.C. to be free

Affordability shouldn’t be an issue when it comes to birth control, according to two Vancouver councillors pushing for all prescription contraception options to be covered under B.C.’s Medical Services Plan.

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Christine Boyle is behind a new motion asking the provincial government to absorb those costs.

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“The city council in Vancouver cares a lot about gender equity. When you look at the current situation, contraception for people with penises is covered and contraception for people with uteruses isn’t. It’s a historic imbalance,” she says.

Saanich News, Feb. 21, 2020

No-cost birth control not included in 2020 B.C. budget

Despite the disappointment felt on Tuesday, the AccessBC team says they will continue to call on the B.C. government to make all forms of contraception universally accessible for residents at no cost.

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AccessBC co-founder Teale Phelps Bondaroff emphasized that B.C. residents have made it clear that a no-cost contraception policy is important not only because of the high costs but because it’s been recognized as an issue of equality.

CBC News, February 17, 2020

Why B.C. should introduce universal contraception coverage in this year's budget

Currently in our province, about 40 per cent of pregnancies are unintended. Nationally, unplanned pregnancies cost our collective health-care systems $320 million annually based on medical costs associated with pregnancy, labour and delivery and abortion...

Universal access to contraception benefits individuals and society, while leading to large economic savings for the government. The wait for universal access to contraception cannot continue. 

The Record, February 15, 2020

Letter: B.C. funding free contraception is the humane choice

In B.C., I have worked in a health-care system that has failed young women. It was deeply troubling to see the barriers that young women had trying to navigate the system to obtain contraception. I have also seen firsthand the consequences of unplanned pregnancies. I am thinking now specifically of a 16 year old that I had the privilege to work with 19 years ago... 

E-Know.ca, February 13, 2020

It’s time for universal no-cost prescription contraception

Prescription contraception is expensive. An intrauterine device (IUD) can cost between $75 and $380, pills as much as $20 per month, and hormone injections $180 per year. These costs make contraception difficult or even impossible to access, particularly young people and those with low incomes.

CFMS-AccessBC, Feb. 12, 2020

Canadian Federation of Medical Students – AccessBC Campaign Joint Statement

Access to contraception is a human right. Universal coverage for contraception empowers people, improves health outcomes, and leads to significant cost savings. Today, the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) and the AccessBC Campaign are pleased to release the following joint statement in support of universal no-cost prescription contraception across Canada.

The Peak, February 10, 2020

The next step in women’s sexual freedom is access to free contraceptives

Studies have shown that for women and people with uteruses, access to contraceptives hugely increases the ability to attend and remain in a post-secondary institution. If financial barriers to contraceptives are unfairly gendered, then isn’t the simple solution to remove them? As university students, shouldn’t we be trying to uplift everyone to our level, not letting sexist policies derail access to higher education, among other things?

Politicoast, January 31, 2020

EP 174: BC also stands for birth control

Sonia Furstenau joins the race for leader of the BC Greens and other bcpoli stories, an interview with AccessBC for free birth control and does the next Conservative leader needs to be bilingual.

Kelowna Daily Courier, January 30, 2020

Free contraception is a human right

The benefits of providing universal, no-cost contraception outweigh the costs, and programs that offer free contraception are revenue-positive.

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Residents of many other jurisdictions already have universal access to contraception; it is time for British Columbia to provide the same to its residents.

Victoria News, January 29, 2020

Victoria becomes first municipality to endorse campaign for provincially-funded contraception

In a committee of the whole meeting on Jan. 23, Couns. Sarah Potts and Jeremy Loveday presented council with a motion to support AccessBC, a Saanich-based campaign calling on the provincial government to include provisions for free prescription birth control for all residents in the 2020 provincial budget.

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​Council passed the motion unanimously and will now call on the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities to demonstrate support for the campaign as well.

Vancouver Courier, January 28, 2020

Free contraception is a human right

"The decision if and when to have children is a human right, and being able to access to effective contraception is a key part of exercising that right.

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However, in British Columbia, cost is a significant barrier to accessing contraception for many people, particularly those with low incomes, young people, and people from marginalized communities...."

Global News, January 24, 2020

Victoria council calls for funding for all female contraception

Victoria city council has voted unanimously to recommend the provincial government fund all forms of female contraception. Brad MacLeod reports. 

CHEK News, January 24, 2020

Victoria City Council supports no-cost prescription contraception

“We are in an affordability crisis, and people should not have to choose between paying rent and accessing the contraception they need to make decisions about their bodies. This policy will save people and the government money,” said Councillor Sarah Potts. “I am grateful to the community members who have brought this forward. Access to contraception is a truly equalizing act that I am proud to support.”

980 CKNW, January 24, 2020

Victoria city council is calling on the province to provide no-cost birth control

The city of Victoria has voted unanimously to ask the province to move forward on funding contraception under the Medical Services Plan.

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Guest: Sarah Potts, Victoria City Councilor.

Canadian Women's Foundation, January 14, 2020

Reproductive Coercion: What it is, and How to Stop it - Devon Black

Reproductive coercion occurs any time someone pressures another person about their reproductive decision-making, or takes steps that make it harder for that person to freely exercise their reproductive choice(s). It covers a range of behaviours: “stealthing” (a form of sexual assault where someone removes a condom during sex without their partner’s knowledge or consent), destroying or hiding birth control pills, breaking a promise to pull out during sex, poking holes in a condom, lying about having had a vasectomy or tubal ligation, pushing a partner to have sex during certain times in their reproductive cycle, or pressuring someone into a pregnancy or an abortion they don’t want are all examples of reproductive coercion.

Vancouver Sun, January 11, 2020

Campaign for free prescription contraception ramps up ahead of B.C. budget

Free prescription contraception is a no-brainer, according to groups advocating its inclusion in February’s provincial budget. A cost-benefit analysis conducted by Options for Sexual Health in 2010 estimates the B.C. government could save $95 million a year if it paid for universal access to prescription contraception.

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It would also promote equality, giving young people and those with low incomes the same choices as those who are able to pay for their preferred method of contraception.

Times Colonist, Dec. 22, 2019

Our Community: Red Umbrella Day calls for sex workers’ safety

“For people who already face extra challenges in accessing contraception, cost can be the factor that tips the scale,” said Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff, co-founder and chair of AccessBC. “No one should be forced to work in dangerous conditions because they can’t afford the tools that would help keep them safe.”

CTV News, December 5, 2019

Universal contraceptives? B.C. premier says province open to the idea

B.C. Premier John Horgan says his government is open to funding universal, publicly funded contraception as advocates insist the program could actually save money in the long run....

"Even though there are programs in place that can assist some people in accessing contraception there are still people falling through the cracks," Devon Black, co-founder of AccessBC told CTV News via Skype.

Georgia Straight, October 2, 2019

Sarah Leamon: Universal contraception makes good social and financial sense for Canada

"...we should seriously consider committing to a universal contraception program. Not only will this relieve some fiscal pressure on our communities, but it will also enhance the reproductive rights of non-trans women and acknowledge their personal autonomy, dignity, and experience. We really shouldn’t settle for anything less. 

Victoria News, September 26, 2019

Groups call on province for free prescriptions on World Contraception Day

In honour of World Contraception Day – which takes place on Sept. 26 annually – AccessBC and Options for Sexual Health are asking the B.C. government to make all forms of prescription birth free and to support health care sites in providing the full range of contraception options.