English N.B. health authority says province had 'adequate' access to surgical abortions

One of New Brunswick’s health authorities says the current access to abortion in the province is adequate.

Horizon CEO Karen McGrath sent a letter to the province’s deputy health minister, writing that requests for surgical abortions in Moncton are dropping and that they aren’t seeing demand other than in Fredericton. The letter also noted that the health authority did not pursue an offer to a physician for surgical time at Otomocto Hospital.  

“Based on this information and given that we have no received any recent request to establish a surgical abortion service in Fredericton, Saint John or Miramichi, it is our position that there is no need to establish another service,” McGrath wrote in the letter obtained by Global News.

“The Moncton clinic sees a stable volume of referrals and has been able to meet the service demand. We will continue to monitor this situation and we will open discussions with our physicians and nurse practitioners to determine if access to abortion services requires modification.”

Read: A radical reimagining of abortion care and medical education

Previously, health minister Dorothy Shephard has said it remains up to the health authorities to determine need. Currently only three hospitals in the province offer surgical abortions, one in Bathurst and two in Moncton.

“Our position has always been, and we’ve been very public about it, that the (regional health authorities) are responsible to deliver the health-care services in this province, to deem whether or not they are appropriate,” said Shephard during June 2 question period.

“That is their responsibility. They will deliver the services as they see they need.”

Last week, the federal government said the province’s unwillingness to pay for surgical abortions outside hospital settings is in violation of the Canadian Health Act.

Indeed, earlier this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Moncton that the federal government is withholding millions of dollars in healthcare transfers to the province because of how limited access to abortions remains.

Read: Trudeau says Ottawa withholding 'millions of dollars' from N.B. over abortion access