Friday, June 23, 2006
NAF Communications Department
202-667-5881
press@prochoice.org
Victoria, BC/Washington, DC - Vicki Saporta, President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation, issued a statement today urging the Honourable Brad Green, QC, the Minister of Health for the Government of New Brunswick, to announce where women will be able to access publicly funded abortion services. In May, the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton, the only facility that regularly provides publicly funded abortions in the province, announced they were suspending their services June 30th.
Ms. Saporta's statement follows:
In one week there will be no publicly funded abortion services in the province unless new hospitals agree to provide abortion care. Right now, doctors throughout New Brunswick have no information about where to refer their patients for publicly funded abortion care after June 30th.
Minister Green had previously stated that publicly funded abortion services would continue to be available in the province, but it is crucial that he announce where those services will be provided. Women need to know where they can obtain the reproductive health care they need. The Canada Health Act guarantees women access to publicly funded abortion care. Time is running out.
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The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is the professional association of abortion providers in Canada and the United States. Our mission is to ensure safe, legal, and accessible abortion care to promote health and justice for women. Our members include health care professionals at clinics, doctors' offices, and hospitals, who together care for more than half the women in both countries who choose abortion each year. For more information, visit our website at www.prochoice.org
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