The Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Martine Biron, revised her speech regarding a law to protect the right to abortion. Faced with numerous warnings, she now says she is banking on access to resources, and no longer on a possible legislative measure.
“I won’t go there if I want to roll back this right,” she said on Tuesday.
In the press scrum, she said she realized “that there were gaps in access” to abortion services. “I quickly set up a committee, so I think we will do something on the access side,” she continued.
The minister’s statements contrast with those she made last spring. In an interview with The Press,Mme Biron had declared that he wanted to table a bill to “screw into the wall” the right to abortion in Quebec, starting in the fall. According to our information, she notably submitted the idea of including this right in the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.
Since then, the Quebec Bar, women’s groups and 400 doctors have warned the minister of the perils of a legislative offensive, which they believe risks opening the way to possible limitations on the right to abortion.
On Tuesday, the College of Physicians of Quebec also issued a warning. “Just like the 400 doctors who signed an open letter against the idea of a new law on the right to abortion, the College believes that we must instead work together to improve access to abortion. Free contraception is a measure that would help curb unwanted pregnancies,” said its president, Dr.r Mauril Gaudreault, at Duty.
Thoughts on contraception
Free prescription contraceptive methods are also a request from the Quebec Birth Planning Federation. Québec solidaire also supports this request. Minister Biron said she was thinking about this question. “I think about many, many aspects, including this, but many other things,” she said.
The Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, for his part affirmed that he will be able to “discuss” the possibility of improving access to contraceptive methods “within the framework of the interministerial committee set up by Martine Biron”.
“We completely agree that contraceptive methods must be made more accessible. Quebec, through its general drug insurance plan, already offers good coverage for prescription costs related to medications, including contraceptive methods. The scheme also offers free access for vulnerable people,” recalled Antoine de la Durantaye, Mr. Dubé’s press secretary.