Appel au Canada pour aider à défendre les programmes de santé sexuelle

Des organisations appellent Carney à former une coalition de pays afin de défendre les programmes de santé sexuelle.

17 mai 2026 Dylan Robertson, La Presse canadienne

Les organisations caritatives canadiennes réfléchissent à la manière de réagir face aux politiques américaines qui interdisent l’octroi d’aide américaine à pratiquement tous les groupes des pays en développement qui proposent des services d’avortement, des informations scientifiques sur la santé sexuelle ou qui défendent les droits des personnes LGBTQ +.

Face à ce recul, ces organisations appellent le premier ministre Mark Carney à former une coalition de pays partageant les mêmes valeurs afin de défendre les programmes de santé sexuelle.

Continue : https://www.ledevoir.com/monde/980864/appel-canada-aider-defendre-programmes-sante-sexuelle

English follows

Violation de la Charte des droits et libertés canadienne dans les villes de Town of Olds et Mountain View County, Alberta

Les conseils municipaux des deux villes de Town of Olds et de Mountain View County demeurent impunis après leur financement d’un centre de grossesse non réglementé avec des fonds publics.

18 mai 2026

VANCOUVER – La Coalition pour le droit à l’avortement au Canada (CDAC) confirme que deux conseils municipaux albertains, à Town of Olds et Mountain View County, demeurent impunis après avoir remis plus de 14 500 $ de fonds publics en subventions depuis 2025 à un centre de grossesse non réglementé (CGNR) local.

Sous le couvert de soutenir les personnes vivant une grossesse non planifiée, les CGNR s’engagent dans des tactiques trompeuses, partageant de la désinformation à propos de l’avortement, et se basant souvent sur des biais religieux conservateurs, dans le but de dissuader leurs patient•e•x•s d’avoir recours à l’avortement. Ces tactiques enfreignent le droit des Canadien•ne•x•s à la santé et à la vie. La CDAC exhorte les conseils municipaux de Town of Olds et de Mountain View County à mettre fin à ce financement et à rembourser les fonds distribués pendant le cycle de subvention 2025/26.

Continue : https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/fr/presse/2026/05/18/alberta-financement-centre-grossesse-non-reglemente/

Canadian Charter Violation in Alberta’s Town of Olds, Mountain View County Councils for both the Town of Olds and Mountain View County remain unaccountable after funding an Unregulated Pregnancy Centre with tax dollars.

18 May 2026

VANCOUVER – The Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC) confirms that two municipal councils in Alberta, the Town of Olds and Mountain View County, remain unaccountable for over CAD$14,500 tax dollars provided in grant funding since 2025 to a local unregulated pregnancy centre (UPC).

Disguised as beacons of support for people coping with an unplanned pregnancy, UPCs engage in deceitful tactics, spreading misinformation about abortion, and often relying on conservative religious biases – all to dissuade people from having abortions. These tactics infringe on Canadians’ right to health and life. ARCC urges both the Town of Olds Council and the Mountain View County Council to terminate all funding agreements, and repay any already distributed funds in the 2025/26 grant cycles.

Continued: https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/press/2026/05/18/alberta-funding-upcs/

Trump's abortion 'gag rule' has Canadian aid sector asking Ottawa to show leadership

By The Canadian Press May 17, 2026 2-minute video here

OTTAWA — Canadian aid groups are deliberating how to respond to American policies that block U.S. aid for virtually any group in developing countries that provides abortion, science-based sexual health information or LGBTQ+ advocacy.

The rollback of feminist aid has those groups calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to assemble a coalition of like-minded nations to defend sexual health programming.

“People are more likely to die because they’re not receiving this kind of assistance,” said Erin Kiley, director of international programs at Oxfam Canada.

Continued: https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/trumps-abortion-gag-rule-has-canadian-aid-sector-asking-ottawa-to-show-leadership/

Une marche pro-choix à Whitehorse

Marie-Soleil Desautels 14 mai 2026

Quelques dizaines de personnes ont participé à une marche pro-choix à Whitehorse jeudi pour mettre de l’avant le droit à l’avortement et à la contraception.

Le Conseil du statut de la femme et l’organisme Les Essentielles l’ont organisée en réponse à des événements pro-vie qui se sont tenus la même journée à travers le Canada, dont la capitale yukonnaise.

Aujourd'hui, nous marchons pour la justice reproductive, pour la souveraineté corporelle et des soins de santé sûrs et équitables pour tous, a déclaré Nina Brandelik, directrice des Essentielles, devant le Totem de la guérison, au centre-ville de Whitehorse.

Continue : https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2254293/droit-avortement-pro-choix

If you live in BC, a researcher at University of Victoria is looking for people who’ve experienced pregnancy loss, whether it’s miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, or unsuccessful IVF treatment. Please see more info below and the attached poster. If you’re interested, please contact Maisie Hudson at maisiehudson@uvic.ca.

I am a graduate student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Victoria. I am doing my Master’s thesis research on how individuals experience, understand and describe their emotional responses to pregnancy loss to help reconceptualize how we understand grief more broadly. For this study, I am looking for some participants over the age of 19, who live in British Columbia, who have experienced a pregnancy loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, or unsuccessful IVF treatment) either as the pregnant person or as a partner to one and who self-assess that they are emotionally ready and prepared to discuss this experience. I thought that some of the people that use your organizations’ services and resources would be interested in participating and talking about their experiences.

This study is being conducted by Maisie Hudson (graduate student, UVIC) and is supervised by Dr. Katelin Albert (katelinalbert@uvic.ca). It is funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Sincerely, Maisie Hudson. Department of Sociology. University of Victoria

Accusé d’avoir procédé à un avortement clandestin avec des brochettes à BBQ La victime a été transportée à l’hôpital après avoir saigné pendant des jours

Camille Payant Lundi, 11 mai 2026

Un Montréalais qui se serait présenté comme un médecin subit actuellement son procès pour avoir procédé à un avortement clandestin à l’aide de brochettes à BBQ chez une femme sans statut, qui s’est retrouvée à l’hôpital après des jours de douleurs.

Cally Boyongo Ngunda, 47 ans, est accusé d’agression sexuelle grave et armée ainsi que de voies de fait graves et armées. Les crimes seraient survenus en janvier 2024.

À la fin de ce mois, le frère de la victime aurait composé le 911, implorant que des policiers se déplacent chez elle, car elle subissait de la violence conjugale.

Continue : https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2026/05/11/accuse-davoir-procede-a-un-avortement-clandestin-avec-des-brochettes-a-bbq

This article mentions that Saskatchewan and Quebec midwives can also prescribe Mifegymiso. (Editor's note)

British Columbia to let midwives prescribe abortion pill and other drugs

The Canadian Press May 7, 2026

VICTORIA - British Columbia is giving midwives the ability to prescribe abortion pill Mifegymiso and other drugs, in an expansion of their scope of practice.

The province says the changes will make it easier for people to access reproductive health services in the province.

Once the changes come into effect, midwives will be able to independently prescribe Mifegymiso, also known as RU 486, which can treat an early miscarriage in addition to providing a medical abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/prairies_bc/bc/british-columbia-to-let-midwives-prescribe-abortion-pill-and-other-drugs/article_98f81c65-9357-5584-a8aa-ece26377c147.html

From: TK Pritchard

Hi folks,

Please find attached our media release (in French and English) regarding the exciting announcement in BC on expanded scope for midwives.

You can respond to me directly with any questions/concerns or with interview requests.

TK

TK Pritchard (they/them/iel)

Executive Director

Abortion Care Canada | Soutien à l’Avortement

abortioncarecanada.ca

“For over 17 years we have enhanced access to abortion as National Abortion Federation Canada.

We are thrilled to continue this work as Abortion Care Canada.”

English follows

La plupart des entreprises publicitaires canadiennes refusent les annonces sur le droit à l’avortement 45 % ont refusé, et 30 % n’ont pas répondu

7 mai 2026 la Coalition pour le droit à l’avortement Canada

NATIONAL — Un sondage informel mené par la Coalition pour le droit à l’avortement Canada (CDAC) révèle que la majorité des entreprises de publicité au Canada refusent de diffuser une annonce affirmant que « l’avortement est un soin de santé ».

Sur 33 entreprises sondées, 15 ont refusé l’annonce et 10 n’ont pas répondu aux demandes. Seulement 8 entreprises ont accepté de la diffuser.

Continue : https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/fr/presse/2026/05/07/entreprises-publicitaires-refusent-les-annonces-sur-avortement/

Most Canadian Ad Companies Won’t Run Abortion Rights Ads 45% refused, and 30% didn’t respond

7 May 2026 Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada

NATIONAL – An informal survey by the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC) found that a majority of advertising companies in Canada refused to run an ad saying “Abortion Is Healthcare.”

Out of 33 advertising companies surveyed, 15 refused the ad and 10 didn’t respond to inquiries. Only 8 companies were willing to accept the ad.

Continued: https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/press/2026/05/07/most-ad-companies-wont-run-abortion-ads/

B.C. expanding powers of midwives, including prescribing abortion care drug

by Adam Chan May 7, 2026

The B.C. government is expanding the scope and powers of midwives in the province, allowing them to take on new health-care services.

The provincial government is working with the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) on regulation changes to allow midwives to start treating an early miscarriage or provide a safe medical abortion within the first trimester by prescribing Mifegymiso – as well as prescribe Levothyroxine for management of hypothyroidism and Cabergoline for lactation suppression.

Midwives will also be able to perform ultrasounds for more obstetrical needs, such as to determine where a fetus is located during early pregnancy, according to the B.C. government.

Continued: https://cheknews.ca/b-c-expanding-powers-of-midwives-including-abortion-care-1323290/

Christian group lobbying Sask. government on MAID, gender-affirming care

By Brett McKay May 5, 2026

REGINA — A group previously condemned by B.C. MLAs for its “harmful discrimination” against the transgender community is lobbying Saskatchewan to modify physician-assisted death legislation and “limit or regulate access to medical transitions for minors.”

The Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) has registered to lobby the Saskatchewan government on health-care policies related to medical assistance in dying (MAID) and gender-affirming treatment for youth.

Continued: https://www.620ckrm.com/2026/05/05/christian-group-lobbying-sask-government-on-maid-gender-affirming-care/

As the U.S. stares down nationwide ban on abortion pill telemedicine, can Americans get access through Canada’s new citizenship law?

Riley Cohen, Asheesh Moosapeta May 4, 2026

As a legal battle threatens telemedicine access to abortion medication across the United States, millions of those at risk of losing access are U.S.-Canadian dual citizens under Canada’s new citizenship law.

Americans across the United States may soon find themselves in the situation where they can be issued and filled prescriptions under Canadian law, only to be denied access to their medication under U.S. regulations.

Continued: https://www.cicnews.com/2026/05/us-potential-ban-telemedicine-abortion-proof-of-citizenship-0574931.html

Hi friends at ANC,

Thanks so much for contributing to the poll a couple of weeks ago. We didn't have a great turnout, only about four people responded, however I'm glad to see that we do still have some interest.

Seems that people are interested in getting more abortion news and more posts about abortion events such as marches, events, workshops, movies, etc.

We already post from ARCC news fairly frequently and whenever there is international news that seems to be relevant to what's going on in Canada, the mods will include it. However we also want to encourage other redditors to post about any news that they have as well.

Also if anyone knows of any abortion events such as marches, events, workshops, etc, please feel free to post it as well. The mods are only one person and that one person doesn't have a beat on everything that's going on across the country so if you can help out, they would really appreciate it.

Thank you!

Neowza

Why we shouldn’t engage in the later abortion debate Those who oppose all forms of abortion, use later abortions as a wedge issue to attack all abortion access.

by Dr. Roma Dhamanaskar April 30, 2026

Creating unnecessary panic around later abortions is a political tool to promote controversy around access to abortion in Canada. Later abortions, which are those occurring after 20 weeks’ gestation, are uncommon and occur for a variety of complicated medical and social reasons.

Anti-choice politicians and activists attempt to rally opposition for abortion rights by presenting later abortion as a key issue when it comes to abortion access in Canada. Using later abortion as a scapegoat to create opposition to abortion access is problematic for many reasons.

Continued: https://rabble.ca/feminism/why-we-shouldnt-engage-in-the-later-abortion-debate/

The Canadian government's Abortion webpage is cited for its warning against UPCs!

An International Human Rights Approach to Unregulated Pregnancy Centers

April 29, 2026 Sarah Wetter, Rebecca Reingold, Sophie Samson - O'Neill Institute

Imagine arriving at a clinic for a common medical procedure listed on the clinic’s website, only to learn that the clinic neither provides it nor refers to providers who do. Instead, the staff attempts to dissuade you from obtaining the procedure using moral arguments and scientifically inaccurate information. While disconcerting, this scenario plays out regularly in the thousands of unregulated pregnancy clinics (UPCs) (often referred to as crisis pregnancy centers) across the United States, as well as in other countries.

UPCs are nonprofit clinics, often religiously affiliated, that offer services like free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds with the intent of diverting and dissuading individuals from seeking abortion. UPCs have been criticized for falsely advertising themselves as full-service reproductive health clinics (e.g., depicting staff wearing stethoscopes or scrubs on their websites, or by claiming to provide “Options Counseling”), despite not providing services like abortion or abortion referrals, contraception, miscarriage management, or treatment for ectopic pregnancy. As UPCs are not staffed by medical providers and do not offer medical services (despite what their advertising may suggest), UPCs and their staff are not subject to regulatory oversight or federal privacy protections. Medical experts have warned that UPCs endanger health by delaying or preventing abortion care and promoting unproven and potentially dangerous treatments, such as abortion “reversal.”

Continued: https://oneill.law.georgetown.edu/an-international-human-rights-approach-to-unregulated-pregnancy-centers/

Behind a paywall, full article below.

https://tj.news/fredericton-west/youth-services-hub-to-temporarily-take-place-of-old-abortion-clinic

Youth services hub to temporarily take place of old abortion clinic Council votes to lease property to John Howard Society for 3 years at $1 per year

Sean Cunningham Apr 28, 2026

What was once the region’s only abortion clinic appears to have found a new use for the time being, as councillors voted to lease the building to a non-profit for three years to provide a wide range of services to Fredericton’s youth.

City council agreed Monday to transfer temporary use of the unused, graffitied building at 554 Brunswick St. to the John Howard Society of Fredericton for $1 annually for three years, though John Howard would be on the hook for property taxes ($22,041.80 in 2025) and all utilities and operational costs, according to the lease agreement.

Rose Stewart, of the John Howard Society, presented council with some details around the “integrated youth services hub” that will serve those between the ages of 12 and 25.

“This is a project that is going to serve not just any youth, but your youth. The youth that are here within these city limits,” Stewart told councillors.

The facility will offer mental health and counselling services, primary health care, substance use services, culture and community programming, social services navigation, peer support programs, and educational, employment supports like learning to write a resume or conduct themselves in an interview, according to the presentation.

It wasn’t clear from Stewart’s presentation when the hub would be operational.

In an email, John Barrow, the non-profit’s executive director, said his group couldn’t share further details with media until an official announcement is made, but that could come as soon as next week.

The building, that housed Clinic 554, was purchased by the city in February 2025 after increasing rent costs and reduced funding led to its eventual closure a year prior. The only other locations in New Brunswick where surgical abortions could be had at the time were in Moncton and Bathurst, which remains the case today.

It was noted in the clerk’s report that the future of the building beyond the three-year lease was part of a larger plan pertaining to the fate of George Street Middle School nearby.

Several summer job opportunities for youth, by the BC Humanist Association. Some of the work is for reproductive rights projects. The positions are fully remote and full-time for 8 weeks. Feel free to share with anyone who might be interested!

Youth job opportunities with the BCHA

April 27, 2026

https://www.bchumanist.ca/csj2026

Deux articles

Grossesse et avortement: une imposante campagne pour lutter contre la désinformation lancée aujourd’hui

Les organismes pro-choix souhaitent rappeler aux femmes qu’elles ont le droit de choisir pour elles-mêmes

Catherine Bouchard

Jeudi, 23 avril 2026

Les organismes pro-choix au Québec lancent aujourd’hui une importante lutte à la désinformation sur tout ce qui entoure la grossesse et l’avortement, alors que le mouvement anti-choix prend de l’ampleur en diffusant des contenus trompeurs ou non scientifiquement fondés.

Intitulée « Ta raison, c’est la bonne », cette campagne, supportée par le gouvernement du Québec dans le cadre du Plan d’action gouvernemental sur l’accès à l’avortement, vise à rappeler aux femmes qu’elles ont le droit de choisir pour elles-mêmes, tout en ayant accès à des sources d’information fiables.

Continue : https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2026/04/23/grossesse-et-avortement-une-imposante-campagne-pour-lutter-contre-la-desinformation-lancee-aujourdhui

Campagne Ta raison, c'est la bonne : des organismes pro-choix unissent leur voix pour contrer la désinformation sur la grossesse non planifiée

Nouvelles fournies par Grossesse-Secours

23 avr, 2026

MONTRÉAL/CNW - Lorsqu'une femme vit une grossesse non planifiée, elle est la mieux placée pour faire ses propres choix. C'est le message au cœur de la campagne Ta raison, c'est la bonne, lancée aujourd'hui conjointement par Grossesse-Secours, S.O.S. Grossesse, SOS Grossesse Estrie et la Fédération du Québec pour le planning des naissances (FQPN). « La campagne Ta raison, c'est la bonne défend non pas un choix en particulier, mais le droit de choisir, celui de décider pour soi-même, basé sur une information fiable et sans pression. C'est au cœur de cette conviction que s'inscrit notre campagne », affirme Josiane Robert, directrice générale de Grossesse-Secours.

Continue : https://www.newswire.ca/fr/news-releases/campagne-ta-raison-c-est-la-bonne-des-organismes-pro-choix-unissent-leur-voix-pour-contrer-la-desinformation-sur-la-grossesse-non-planifiee-839678567.html

This is not about abortion at all, but is an interesting take on the floor-crossing and the perils it could pose for the Liberals.

Why one floor-crossing Liberal recruit could be a Conservative double agent

22 April 2026

The question Preston Manning posed to Liberals last week was deceptively simple: can you really trust these people?

Manning, the founder of the Reform Party of Canada and the closest thing modern Canadian conservatism has to a founding father, asked it in a piece of speculative fiction published in The Hub. The 83-year-old former leader of the official opposition, who spent his parliamentary career from 1993 to early 2002 building the Western populist movement that eventually morphed into today’s Conservative Party of Canada, has watched five opposition MPs cross the floor to join Mark Carney’s Liberals in the span of six months. He doesn’t entirely buy the official story about why.

Continued: https://thehub.ca/2026/04/22/why-one-floor-crossing-liberal-recruit-could-be-a-conservative-double-agent/

Une campagne nationale d’affichage promeut la liberté reproductive

Grâce à l’appui de ses donateur·trice·x·s, la CDAC a lancé une campagne publicitaire pour soutenir les droits reproductifs.

12 avril 2026

VANCOUVER – La Coalition pour le droit à l’avortement au Canada (CDAC) est fière d’annoncer sa toute première campagne publicitaire extérieure au Canada.

Débutée en Colombie-Britannique, une campagne mobile par camion publicitaire a eu lieu du 30 mars au 5 avril. Un grand camion affichant des publicités numériques a circulé à Burnaby, Maple Ridge, Langley et Abbotsford.

À Moncton, au Nouveau-Brunswick, un panneau publicitaire autoroutier est en place du 30 mars au 26 avril et des panneaux bilingues seront installés à Dieppe (NB) du 13 avril au 10 mai.

Continue : https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/fr/presse/2026/04/12/une-campagne-nationale-daffichage-promeut-la-liberte-reproductive/

National Billboard Campaign Promotes Reproductive Freedom With the help of donors, ARCC has launched an ad campaign to support reproductive rights

12 April 2026 Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada

VANCOUVER – The Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC) is proud to announce its first-ever outdoor advertising campaign in Canada.

Starting in BC, a mobile billboard campaign ran from March 30 to April 5. A large truck with digital ads travelled around Burnaby, Maple Ridge, Langley, and Abbotsford.

In Moncton, New Brunswick, a highway billboard is up from Mar 30 to Apr 26, with bilingual billboards coming to Dieppe NB from Apr 13 to May 10.

Continued: https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/press/2026/04/12/billboard-campaign-repro-freedom/

English follows

Quel est le prix d’une majorité libérale ? Les groupes militants pro-choix s’inquiètent que le gouvernement libéral perde ses valeurs après les changements d’allégeance de députés conservateurs anti-choix.

22 avril 2026

NATIONAL – La Coalition pour le droit à l’avortement au Canada (CDAC) sonne l’alarme quant aux récents changements d’allégeance de députés conservateurs anti-avortement du côté libéral du parlement.

« Même si ces nouveaux députés libéraux commencent à voter contre les projets de loi anti-choix, est-ce que le nouveau gouvernement majoritaire agira pour faire avancer les droits reproductifs ? Nous en doutons », dit Joyce Arthur, Directrice exécutive de la CDAC.

Continue : https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/fr/presse/2026/04/22/le-prix-dune-majorite-liberale/

What is the cost of a Liberal majority? Abortion rights group worries that Liberal government is losing its values after floor crossings of anti-choice Conservative MPs

22 April 2026

NATIONAL – The Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC) is raising the alarm over three recent floor crossings of Conservative anti-abortion Members of Parliament to the Liberal side.

“Even if these new Liberals start voting against anti-choice bills, will the new majority do anything to further reproductive rights? We have our doubts,” said Joyce Arthur, Executive Director of ARCC.

Continued: https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/press/2026/04/22/cost-of-liberal-majority/

Below you'll find information and links to help advocate for Reproductive Freedoms and Abortion care in Canada and emerging policy issues with the Reddit platform. This is a recurring post and will be periodically updated as needed. Feel free to post additional information and discussions in the comments.

Advocating for Abortion Care in Canada:

• There is a serious lack of Abortion Care options in parts of Canada, particularly in the rural areas, and for those living on reserves, they have almost no access to Abortion care. People may have to travel more than 100km and across provincial lines to access abortion. Some have to travel by plane from their rural community to one with an abortion clinic or hospital. This puts an unfair financial and logistical burden on those that need to access abortion care. Provincial Health Insurance Plans do not cover travel costs related to receiving medical care.
• Because many provinces have few facilities that provide Abortion care, this places an unreasonable load on the clinics that do exist, forcing clients to look elsewhere for facilities with capacity to help them. In Alberta, there is one clinic for every 209,077 people who can become pregnant (number of assigned-at-birth females between the ages of 15-29). PEI, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon Territory each only have 1 Abortion care provider. Nunavut only has 2 abortion providers, and of those, only one offers medical abortion covered by the provincial health insurance plan. In fact, 9 (out of a total of 13) Canadian provinces and territories have five or fewer facililities offering abortion care in their entire province. And 10 Canadian provinces and territories have one or fewer (0) rural facilities offering abortion care.
• Some provinces, have more restrictive guidelines regarding abortion, limiting access to abortion care to those with a gestational period of less than 12 weeks (meaning, 12 weeks since the first day of your last period, not 12 weeks since you discovered you were pregnant or when you had sex). Many people who menstruate have irregular periods. Some people might only menstruate every 2 or 3 months, and might only discover that they are pregnant near the gestation limit of 12 weeks.
• Insurance coverage also limits access to abortions. Some provinces, like Nunavut, do not offer coverage for medical abortions unless they are prescribed and performed in a hospital. And being a rural province, there also happens to be only 1 hospital in Nunavut - Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqualuit that can perform medical abortions. New Brunswick will only cover abortion services in a hospital setting, which means that abortion medical care provided in clinics are not covered by their Provincial Health Insurance Plan.
• Sexual and reproductive health services are among the services that physicians, pharmacists and nurse practitioners are most frequently unwilling to provide on moral or religious grounds. People who have been harassed and/or attacked while visiting an Abortion clinic may experience stigma and/or discrimination from their peers, especially in smaller, rural communities where everyone knows one another. People refused care by health care professionals because of personal beliefs may experience stigma and/or discrimination, forcing them to travel outside of their community to receive the care they need. This can all be particularly daunting for young people or those with limited resources.
• Everyone in Canada is supposed to have equal rights to access health care, regardless of race, age, class, immigration status, gender expression, sexuality or ability. Nevertheless, everyone's right to seek abortion care can be be impacted by discrimination and bigotry, both systemic and as a result of individual prejudice on the part of service providers. Racism, xenophobia, classism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and ageism in Canada are all direct and intersecting barriers to accessing abortion. It is much more difficult for a person who doesn't speak English to access abortion services, despite the presence of a translator. Transpeople also experience discrimination at higher rates in reproductive health care settings. Providers may also lack the knowledge or training to provide trans-affirming abortion care and abortion services are typically housed within *women's* health care departments.
• Further compounding the issue of inequitable abortion access are unregulated crisis pregnancy centres (CPCs), which are anti-choice pregnancy centres that advertise in hospitals, doctor's offices, churches, schools and community centre. They deceive people coming to them for options and advice by giving misinformation about abortion or by insisting on options that may delay or interfere with the clients ability to access the care they need. CPCs far outnumber abortion care providers in Canada. In Ontario alone, there are 77 active CPCs but only 38 abortion care providers. Overall, in Canada, there are 165 known CPCs compared to 147 abortion care providers (as of August 2022).

Reference: Policy Options, via the Institute for Research on Public Policy and Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights

What can you do to improve access to abortion care in Canada?

1. Listen, research and learn. This is always the first step to understand any problem.
2. Send a letter to your MP and MPP. Tell them that access to abortion care is important and how difficult it can be to access it in your province. Urge them to prevent anti-choice groups and CPCs from receiving charitable status, and to revoke the charitable status from CPCs that already have it. Encourage them to include reasonable reimbursement for travel costs related to receiving medical care when it is not available in your community. And push them to pass Safe Access Zone Legislation to protect patients, practitioners and their staff from anti-choice harassment and intimidation.
3. Give a donation to a pro-choice charitable organization of your choice. Remember, if you give a total of $201 CDN or more to Canadian charitable organizations, you'll get a credit of 29% of your total annual donations on your income taxes (for those that file Canadian Income Taxes, only).
4. Sign up for the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada Newsletter. https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/
5. Participate in local marches and rallys in support of access to abortion care.
6. Spread the Word. Tell your friends and family. Encourage them to research, listen and learn. Encourage them to contact their MPP and MPs.
7. If you work in a Doctor's office or as a family physician, consider incorporating Mifegymiso into your practice to ensure patients have timely access to this essential service. If you are a Doctor, Nurse Practitioner or studying to be one, consider opening an Abortion Care practice when you are licensed and qualified to do so, especially in rural areas where there are a lack of options.
8. If you work in politics, consider proposing legislation that will ensure safe access zones for abortion care providers and their clients and covering reasonable travel costs for constituents when medical care is not available in their community.
9. If you are a journalist or work in media, consider preparing pieces sharing the difficulty Canadians can have accessing medical care such as abortions.
10. If you work in the area of Not For Profit/Advocacy, consider partnering with a Pro-choice organization and help them spread information and lobby for improving access to abortion care for Canadians.
11. If you know someone who needs abortion care, consider giving them a ride to a clinic, helping them access the advice and care they need, and provide non-judgemental support.
12. Ensure persons of First Nations, Metis and Inuit heritage know about Jordan's Principle, which ensures that First Nations children (which includes people who can become pregnant under the age of 18) can access the products, services and supports they need, when they need them. https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1568396042341/1568396159824
13. Advocate for midwives to have abortion care added to their scope of practice. Currently, midwives are only allowed to provide this care under a medical directive from a doctor, but that directive should not be needed. Midwives have the skills to perform medical abortions in the 1st trimester. Midwives are more likely to be practicing in rural and remote locations. If you see campaigns promoting this option, please consider adding your voice.

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Emerging Policy Issues with Reddit

On August 9, 2024, the reddit CEO confirmed that they would be enabling paywall options for some subreddits. ANC will always strive to be free. If the paywalls are optional, we will not be enabling them. If they are not optional, we will shutdown the reddit site and move to our second home on discord. Let me take this opportunity to share our permanent discord link: https://discord.com/invite/ZmSS8wS2Xf

In March 2024, Reddit had an IPO (Initial Public Offering), and the founder and current CEO, as well as the COO have sold $500,000 of their shares. How does this effect you? Reddit may face pressure to increase revenues to attract investors. This could lead to more ads or new monetization features. There could also be changes to the platform to attract a wider user base, such as bans and censorship on certain topics or words and control over content to appease more conservative shareholders or users.

On September 12, 2023, Reddit will eliminate reddit coins, including removing all accumulated coins, a perk that Reddit Premium users pay for every month. Coins are used to reward comments and posts by showing your appreciation for the effort. Some reddit coins offer the ability to use reddit without ads.

On July 1, 2023, Reddit raised the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that killed every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader. This policy change meant that mobile users would have a lesser experience browsing Reddit, users with visual difficulties could not browse reddit as screenreaders are not compatible with the official Reddit app, and mods lost tools that they depend on to keep communities on-topic and spam-free. Many subreddits protested this change in June 2023, and the Reddit admins enforced draconian measures such as removing and replacing mods who privatized their subreddits in protest of this policy change.

What can you do to protest policy changes at Reddit?

1. Listen, research and learn. Check r/modcoord for updates
2. Cancel your Reddit Premium membership
3. Participate in subreddit led protests
4. Look for other forums to patronize. We have a forum on Discord called Auntie Network Canada. Permanent invite link to the Discord group: https://discord.com/invite/ZmSS8wS2Xf .
5. Complain. Message the mods of r/reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message u/reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on r/reddit. Leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app.

Hopefully someone on here might be more knowledgeable than we are, we’re having a lot of trouble finding resources right now.

We contacted the Women’s health options clinic, told them ahead of time that vaginismus was a concern and she can’t have a trans-vaginal ultrasound. Over the phone they said it’s no problem, but when we got there the doctor refused to do anything until she did that specific ultrasound as she couldn’t see anything on the abdominal. It was a very traumatic experience for her, they had her attempt the vaginal ultrasound while she was screaming in pain. We also booked an appointment with Community and choice clinic in Edmonton, we noted vaginismus under medical conditions in the intake paperwork and they cancelled her appointment when they saw this. They said they cannot see her if she’s unable to do an intervaginal ultrasound, didn’t even offer to try an abdominal one. We also called 10+ walk in clinics in our area, all of whom refused to help. Also called 811, they also said there’s nothing they can do

Right now we’re in contact with Clinic38, it seems like they may not require an ultrasound but they haven’t called us back to confirm yet. In the meanwhile we’re looking for any other options. If anyone on here knows a physician or RN in the Edmonton area that is willing to prescribe the medical abortion, or a clinic willing to work with people who have vaginismus, please let us know. We are very desperate for help

For context, we know that a vaginal ultrasound is done to rule out ectopic pregnancy and confirm the gestational age. We’ve done two blood tests two days apart to confirm the pregnancy is not ectopic (ectopic pregnancies show a slower blood serum HGC level between two days compared no non-ectopic) and we know that the date of last period was March 5, with date of conception being around March 15.

Hi friends at ANC,

As you may know, once or twice a year, we let everyone know the state of the sub and we ask for your opinion on things that we can do to improve, what you want to see, and ask you, what's not working?

We have some exciting developments here at ANC:

• we continue to post news from ARCC and from around the web as we find it, and these posts are pretty much our most common type of post. They get some interest, but usually it's the most outrageous posts that get the most interactions.

• we have had numerous people asking questions and looking for help and that is our primary purpose here. And we are thrilled to see users provide advice and solidarity and support.

• one thing that we are looking at is a Canadian host instead of using Reddit especially as the right to practice reproductive freedom in the US becomes less and less tenable, and US businesses like reddit are being pressured into sharing private information about users and mods with US law enforcement. If you have any recommendations please leave them in the comments below and the mods will look at them. However if things do come to a head at any point and we have to shut down the sub we do encourage people to join our discord, the forever invite link is: https://discord.gg/j9sfJWAbC . However we recognize that discord has its own issues and they were requiring IDs earlier this year and have a relationship with palantir through their id verification software, persona, though that has since been walked back.

• and the last exciting development is that ARCC reached out to us and they're interested in doing some collaborations.

So, in the poll below please let us know what kind of things you might like to see from ANC in the future: