Women’s strike in Fredericton marks overturning of Roe v. Wade

On Monday, activists in Fredericton participated in a march from City Hall to the Legislative Assembly as part of a national women’s strike. The event marked the second anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States. Demonstrations were organized across Canada in solidarity with Americans striving to reclaim autonomy over their bodies.

“We are here to represent the rights of women and men because all of us have the right to our own bodies and our own expressions,” said Shelley Petit, chair of the NB Coalition of Persons with Disabilities, who organized the event.

Petit is passionate about the cause because of the systemic discrimination faced by many women with disabilities, including prejudiced assumptions about their ability to raise children.

She expressed frustration with the lack of support services in the province, particularly for child care. “As soon as that baby comes out, it is seen as not worthy of services,” she said. New Brunswickers are facing difficulties accessing both abortion services and proper support for child care. This leaves many feeling unsupported and uncertain about their options.

Petit voiced her concerns about conservative governments gaining more control over people’s bodies and rights. “Conservative governments across the world and across this country are going too far. And it’s not unnoticed that it’s men making the rules,” she observed.

Petit urged people to participate in the upcoming provincial election to drive change, saying “things have to change and the way we can make the biggest change is at the ballot box.”

Nicki Lyons-MacFarlane, the NDP candidate for Fredericton South-Silverwood, talked about the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, describing it as “a rollback of 50 years of hard-fought progress and rights.”

Lyons-MacFarlane also pointed out that in New Brunswick, Regulation 84-20 of the NB Medical Services Payment Act restricts provincial funding for surgical abortions performed outside of hospital settings, meaning that out-of-hospital abortions in private clinics are not covered by the province.

They voiced concern over the impact of this regulation, stating that it restricts people’s access to essential reproductive health care. Lyons-MacFarlane emphasized that the New Brunswick NDP is committed to overturning Regulation 84-20 and enabling out-of-hospital surgical abortions.

Lyons-MacFarlane further raised the issue of the closure of Clinic 554, stating that it has made it difficult for New Brunswickers to access gender-affirming care. They stressed that access to gender-affirming care is essential for all trans and gender-diverse individuals. “Transitioning allows people to freely express who they are and can increase their confidence in their life span. Access to gender-affirming care saves lives, the consequences of losing it can be dire” they said.

Glenna Hanley, another member of the NDP, shared her personal experiences as a single mother facing discrimination following an unplanned pregnancy. She described the struggles she faced as an unmarried woman with a child, including prejudice and unwanted attention due to societal stereotypes and difficulties in finding work and housing. “It was one challenge after another,” she reflected.

Hanley urged people in New Brunswick to become more knowledgeable about local politics, saying: “We have to watch our government, we have to watch what’s going on in New Brunswick. Far-right governments certainly don’t have women’s interests in mind.”

Simon Ouellette, Green candidate for Fredericton South-Silverwood, also spoke at the event. He emphasized that the issue of limited access to abortion services is not exclusive to the Conservative government.

“The fact that we only have abortion available in three hospitals, it’s not just a blue thing. It’s also a red thing,” he said. He highlighted the pattern of Conservative and Liberal governments alternating while failing to make genuine commitments to improving people’s lives.

A small group of counter-protesters carrying anti-choice signs joined the event and attempted to disrupt the speeches. In response, Ouellette invited the counter-protesters to join him in the fight for better social services. He stressed the need for adequate resources and support for women and all working-class people.

“When someone decides whether to keep a child, it shouldn’t be because they don’t have money, because they don’t have housing, because they don’t have good wages, and because they don’t have rights. It’s their choice. It’s as simple as that,” he said.

Ouellette stressed that our rights were hard-fought and can all too easily be taken away, saying: “There’s not a single right we have, either as working people, as women, as trans people, as black, as Indigenous people, that were given to us. People have fought for them, and we need to fight to maintain them.”

There was no Liberal representative in attendance though an invitation was extended to the party, according to Petit.

Response from Higgs government

The provincial government didn’t respond to a request from the NB Media Co-op for an interview with Sherry Wilson, the Minister responsible for Women’s Equality, but provided an emailed statement defending its policies. The statement didn’t address the closure of Clinic 554.

“The government of New Brunswick works to promote gender equality, reduce systemic discrimination and support initiatives that will improve women’s personal, economic, and social security,” the statement said in part.

On child care, “more spaces will be available in the coming months” under an agreement with the federal government, according to the statement.

“The number of designated spaces to be created in child care is determined by the number of spaces available in the Canada-New Brunswick Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, which is 3,400,” the spokesperson said. “So far, 1,825 of these child care spaces are already open and occupied and the remainder will be created by operators who are expanding or building new facilities.”

On abortion access, the statement stressed the availability of medical abortions outside of hospitals with the Mifegymiso pill and said that “New Brunswick is fully committed to the principles of the Canada Health Act.”

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association launched a lawsuit against the provincial government in 2021, saying its restrictions on abortion coverage violate the Canada Health Act and infringe on fundamental rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Dora Szemok is an undergrad entering her final year studying International Development Studies and Political Science and a research assistant for the Promise of Home project. She is also a member of the Fredericton Young Communist League.