Fredericton clinic providing surgical abortions shuttered [video]

The only surgical abortion provider in the Fredericton region has closed its doors.

Dr. Adrian Edgar, medical director of Clinic 554, made the announcement on the steps of the Legislative Assembly with a group of supporters on Wednesday.

Under regulation 84-20 of the Medical Services Payment Act, surgical abortions aren’t covered by public health insurance in New Brunswick unless they take place at hospitals located in Moncton and Bathurst.

A twofold rent increase also contributed to financial pressure on the clinic, which provided surgical abortions free of charge to people who couldn’t afford the service.

“Clinic 554 never turned a patient away, regardless of their financial, citizenship, or Medicare status,” Edgar said. “And now, without reliable access to affordable and suitable space to provide this level of care, we can no longer continue to do so.”

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association launched a lawsuit against the province over its refusal to fund surgical abortions outside of those hospitals in 2021, arguing that it violates the Canada Health Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The government under Premier Blaine Higgs has stated that medical abortions are accessible via the abortion pill Mifegymiso. But supporters of Clinic 554 say that’s not enough and maintain that the province isn’t meeting reproductive health care needs.

Speakers at Wednesday’s media conference also included Sophie M. Lavoie of Reproductive Justice New Brunswick; research scientist Mary Milliken; and Teresa Devor Hall of the Madhu Verma Migrant Justice Centre.

Videography by Spencer Thorne. Editing by David Gordon Koch.

This reporting has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada, administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Stations and Users (CACTUS).