AccessBC

AccessBC is delighted that British Columbia has become the first jurisdiction in Canada to make all prescription contraception free. On April 1, 2023, prescription contraception will be made free to all British Columbia residents. The 2023 provincial budget has dedicated $119 million over three years for a program that will fully cover prescription contraception options, including most oral pills, injections, copper and hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs), implants, and Plan B (also known as the morning after pill).

AccessBC is delighted to see that the 2023 BC provincial budget, released today, includes a commitment from the government to make all prescription contraception free. We won!

This week, the AccessBC Campaign for free prescription contraception installed transit ads across the lower mainland. The campaign hopes that these ads, along with a billboard in Victoria that went up last week, will help mobilize the public to put additional pressure on the government prior to the 2023 budget. The ads can be found at the following Skytrain stations: Burquitlam, Coquitlam Central, Inlet, Lougheed Town Centre, and Production Way-University.

This week, AccessBC Campaign for free prescription contraception installed a billboard along the Patricia Bay Highway just south of Mt. Newton Cross Road, outside of Victoria. This is the first time the grassroots campaign has advertised and it is hoping that the billboard, and additional planned ads in the lower mainland, will help mobilize the public to put additional pressure on the government prior to the 2023 budget.

On this day, the AccessBC Campaign for free prescription contraception is calling on the BC government to stand up for human rights, and follow through on its promise to make all prescription contraception in the province free. During their 2020 provincial election platform, the BC NDP promised to make all prescription contraception free, and the policy has been in both of Health Minister Dix’s mandate letters, yet despite this promise, the policy has yet to be implemented.

Access to contraception is a human right. Universal coverage for contraception empowers people, improves health outcomes, and leads to significant cost savings. This World Contraception Day, September 26, 2022, the AccessBC Campaign is once again calling on the BC government to fulfil its election promise.

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) advocates in BC and across Canada have joined their voices together to demand reproductive justice. Advocates are calling on the federal and provincial governments to do more than make statements or release small amounts of funding – they must take real action to improve people’s access to SRH in Canada.

“The news that the US Supreme Court could overturn Roe v Wade is deeply troubling. We need to channel our feelings of outrage, frustration and horror into action and fight back against the forces of misogyny that would strip a person of their most basic right to bodily autonomy,” said Teale Phelps Bondaroff, Chair and Co-Founder of the AccessBC Campaign. “Now, more than ever, it is critical that we stand in solidarity and support US activists fighting for reproductive justice and that we take action here at home. This is yet another reason why British Columbia needs to step up and show people that we are tearing down barriers to reproductive health services.”

The AccessBC Campaign for free prescription contraception expresses its disappointment that the 2022 BC provincial budget was released today without a clear commitment to fund free contraception for all.

The AccessBC Campaign for free prescription contraception is launching a social media campaign as it gears up for World Contraception Day, on September 26, 2021. AccessBC is asking participants to share a photo of themselves with a sign declaring why they support universal no-cost prescription contraception.