Almost everyone in New Brunswick has heard of Clinic 554. But what do they really know about it? Over the past five weeks, the NB Media Co-op has published our series of “myth-busters” to challenge many false ideas about the Clinic and present the facts.
Here are the facts. Click on any link for a full explanation:
1) Clinic 554 is NOT a private abortion clinic.
2) Trans and LGBTQ+ care is NOT adequately provided in NB by services other than Clinic 554.
3) Abortion services in NB are NOT adequate without Clinic 554.
4) Medical and surgical abortion are NOT the same and NOT equally available in NB
5) Clinic 554 is NOT only an abortion clinic
Finally…
6) Clinic 554 does NOT just have an overhead problem that could be solved with a new building
In fact, the the current building meets stringent criteria set by the National Abortion Federation, and the cost of modifying a new building to meet these criteria would be prohibitively expensive.
One of the many things that makes Clinic 554 so special is that they are certified by the National Abortion Federation (NAF). NAF is the professional association of abortion providers in North America. To become certified, the facility must complete a rigorous application process and meet evidence-based standards yearly.
In order to become certified, Clinic 554 has met various safety requirements that are integral to the building on Brunswick Street. These include bullet-proof glass, security cameras, as well as specifications for the inside of the building and staff who work there. In addition, Clinic 554 is wheelchair accessible.
The clinic cannot simply move to a smaller, less costly office space.
All the NB Media Co-op’s articles that mention Clinic 554 are available here.
Julia Hansen is a volunteer active on the Save Clinic 554 campaign and a member of Reproductive Justice NB. Shealynne Harnish is a mom as well as a criminology student at St. Thomas University.
