New policy helps abortion access but barriers remain, advocate says

A women's rights advocacy groupin Nova Scotia says policy changes earlier this year have significantly increased access to abortion in the province, but serious barriers remain.

In February, the province eliminated itsrequirement fora doctor's referral in order to get an abortion which was a positive step forward, said SarahBaddeley, a lawyer and chair of Halifax's Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF).

Women seeking an abortion can now call a toll-free phonenumberduring weekdays to set up an appointment and access information.

But Baddeleysaid the waiting period for an abortion is still a "significant point of concern."

BaddeleytoldInformation Morningthatthe fact that dating ultrasounds cannot be performed outside of radiology departments is at the root of the issue.

Ultrasounds a first step to abortion access

In Nova Scotia, ultrasounds are typically thefirst step to accessing an abortionin order to assess whether it is an ectopic pregnancy and to date the pregnancyto determine ifa surgical or medical abortion is appropriate.

Mifegymiso, commonly known as the abortion pill,can only be used within the first 63 days of the pregnancy. The provincial government started covering the $350 cost of the pill last November.

The province's website shows that wait times for ultrasounds at Halifax'sQEIIHealth Sciences Centre often exceed 48 days.

But the Nova Scotia Health Authority sayslong waits for abortions aren't anissue at the hospital.

"There are six slots every day reserved in the diagnostic imaging department at theQEIIfor this purpose," said Dr. Mark Taylor, interim VP of medicine for Nova Scotia Health Authority.

"So there really is not significant waiting time for the procedure today."

Fundraised new ultrasound machine

Kim Munroe, director responsible for the Nova Scotia Women's Choice Clinic at the QEII, said the standard of care is to ensure women get an ultrasound within one week of their call. The Women's Choice Clinichandles 80 per cent of abortions in the province.

The clinic privately fundraisedto purchase an ultrasound machine, which is expected to arrive next week.

But the Health Authority said the new ultrasoundwill be used during surgical abortions and notfor dating pregnancies.

"It may ultimately be used for that purpose of dating and planning for abortions but that will require training of staff," said Taylor.

Tayloradded the new machine "won't make a difference [in wait times] because the intention of the ultrasound machine is for surgery."

Munroe acknowledged that some women may experience wait times before an ultrasound but only because the clinic wants them to wait until they're at least six weeks into a pregnancy before they get one.