P.E.I. PEERS Alliance 'heartbroken' over news of possible closure of Fredericton clinic

Two P.E.I. groups are reacting strongly to the news that Clinic 554 in Fredericton,N.B.may be closing.

Clinic 554is the province'sonly private abortion clinic.It'sup for sale and facesimpending closure ifthe provincial government continues to refuse to cover out-of-hospital abortions, the medical director announced Thursday.

Staff at P.E.I.'s PEERS Alliance in Charlottetown saythe group is heartbroken by the news.

"I was devastated, I watched the video and I was almost shocked, I couldn't even really believe it," said Rory Starkman, youth services coordinator for the PEERS Alliance.

"I had to watch the video again and really keep myself from from from crying because it's so devastating to several communities, to folks who are seeking abortions but in particular with the people that we work with."

"It's incredibly devastating to our transgender community."

Starkmansaidthatfor yearsClinic 554 has been the only place where transgender Islandersover the age of 16could go for hormone replacement therapy and other care.

Without the clinic many transgender Islanders will face long waitinglists for medical care that is not easily available on P.E.I., Starkman said.

"It's incredibly heartbreaking because I know that now I'm going to be taking calls and struggling to be able to refer people somewhere where they can access that care easily."

"We're advocating right now on the Island, getting doctors on the Island to be able to prescribe so that folks don't have to travel off Island but in the interim we were very grateful to have Clinic 554 be there," Starkman said.

Starkman saidthey don't know the exact number of Prince Edward Islanders who have been accessing the Fredericton clinic but the organization istrying to find that out.

'Devastating blow'

Ash Arsenault of the P.E.I. Transgender Network calls the potential closure of the clinic a "devastating blow".

"For many trans Islanders, the Clinic 554 was the only viable medical resource available and in fact the only place in the Maritimes that operates on a modern and effective model," Arsenault wrote, in a statement to CBC.

"If it closes, many will have to face extremely long waits, evaluations and referrals across provinces."

The impending closure of the privately funded abortion clinic has become a federal election issue.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended a rally in support of Clinic 554in FrederictonFriday afternoon.

The issue also came up Thursday night during the final leaders' debate of the election campaign.

The president of the New Brunswick Medical Society is also speaking out about issue, calling on the provincial governmentto live up to its legal obligations and support Clinic 554.

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