Bloomberg — The Bloor West Village Women’s Clinic in Toronto has had very few American patients, despite advertising its abortion services internationally. That may be about to change.
The US Supreme Court’s decision Friday overturning Roe v Wade means women living in states with new restrictions on abortion could be forced to travel to obtain the procedure. Canada, which has no legal restrictions on abortion, could offer a safe haven for those looking for abortion care, with about half of US states considered “certain or likely” to ban or severely restrict services following the high court’s decision.
The challenge will be affording it. Those needing an abortion still need to be able to pay the cost of travel and for the procedure itself. Travel to Canada also requires a passport and a vaccine card.
Supreme Court Overturns Roe, Transforming Abortion-Rights Fight
“The women who are most vulnerable are not women, most likely, who are going to have passports and the money to do this,” said Sheri Krieger, a counselor at Bloor West. “Certainly we’re open and here to help in any way we can, 100%, that’s for sure, but at this moment we have no sense of what’s going to happen.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking at a Commonwealth summit, hinted that Canada could be a destination, but offered no specific measures to increase abortion availability or handle more patients at the nation’s clinics.
Trudeau lamented the Supreme Court’s decision as a “devastating setback” to the battle for rights fought by generations of women around the world. “We need to continue to stand strong, to defend everybody’s rights and freedoms in Canada and where we are here, internationally… which Canada will do — whether it’s fighting for…
Source : time
