Canada will ensure border officers know Individuals can travel for abortion: Mendicino – National

Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino says he shall be speaking with the Canada Border Services Agency to ensure its employees know Individuals looking for abortions can come to Canada for care.

Talking with reporters on Wednesday, Mendicino said folks within the U.S. may be feeling doubt about whether or not they'll be capable to access abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, as a leaked draft ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court docket urged earlier this week is imminent.

NEW: Minister @marcomendicino says he’s talking with @CanBorder to verify there are clear tips so People who might not have the ability to access an abortion can come to Canada to take action. Says capacity to take action isn’t in query but he needs to ensure issues are clear. pic.twitter.com/qEqVQuUKJT

— Abigail Bimman (@AbigailBimman) May 4, 2022

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Mendicino stated the ability of Americans to come back to Canada for abortions will not be in query, however he desires to be sure that position is obvious to those engaged on the frontlines on the border.

“I’ve engaged CBSA, my workplace is presently working with them to make sure there are clear pointers so that girls who could not be capable of entry healthcare including abortions are in a position to come to Canada,” he stated.

“If some ladies wish to come to Canada to access those procedures, I have given them the directive to welcome them,” he added in French.

Mendicino billed the transfer as a “measure of caution” in the occasion Roe v. Wade is overturned and described the hope as being to “get rid of any ambiguity” that border officials may have as as to whether someone travelling to Canada for an abortion is eligible to enter the country.

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What is unclear at the moment is whether or not any info on those individuals can be shared with American legislation enforcement or state officers trying to prosecute folks for travelling for an abortion, as some consultants have instructed may very well be next if Roe v. Wade falls.

Canada and the U.S. have extensive cross-border knowledge sharing agreements designed to make it simpler to flag individuals who could pose a risk to nationwide security, or who're violating immigration rules.

Alexander Cohen, director of communications for Mendicino’s workplace, said the federal government does not share general info concerning the aim of journey for Individuals coming to Canada, “and that would include those who come to Canada for reproductive health purposes.”

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Within the context of abortion rights, jurisdictions that provide access to those exterior their borders are sometimes called “secure havens.”

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States like California have vowed to enshrine abortion access more strongly in their laws in the wake of the leaked U.S. Supreme Court docket draft ruling on Roe v. Wade, while specialists are additionally elevating the likelihood that for Individuals near the Canadian border, this country could turn out to be their nearest secure haven.

Read more: Roe v. Wade draft ruling puts U.S. abortion rights in crosshairs. Here’s what to know

“I believe the large challenges for Canadians are going to be ongoing entry to abortion if Canada turns into a protected haven of Individuals,” said Dr. Dustin Costescu, an affiliate professor at McMaster College in addition to a household planning and sexual well being specialist.

Costescu mentioned all the information out there proper now suggests there will stay abortion access in a variety of states alongside the Japanese Seaboard if Roe v. Wade falls, including New York.

That may mean Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes could not see a “significant” degree of spillover.

“Michigan, however, becomes a bit of a sizzling spot when it comes to whether or not abortion is accessible. As we transfer westward into the U.S. Midwest, that’s where we see pockets of states that may fall when Roe v Wade falls,” he added.

“Geographically, that is thought of ‘frontier country.’ These are giant distances. But when people have to choose to go a whole bunch of kilometers south or north [to access abortion], they might come up north.”

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Learn more: How abortion entry differs across U.S. — and the way overturning Roe v. Wade might change it

Autumn Reinhardt-Simpson is the founder of the Alberta Abortion Access Network, and works as what’s often called an abortion doula. That means her job is helping individuals who need abortions access them.

The help she and other abortion doulas provide contains help arranging journey, pickup and drop-off at sexual health clinics or abortion clinics, help arranging accommodations if an individual has to go away their home neighborhood to get the abortion, assist accessing correct information, in addition to emotional support.

She told World News on Tuesday that sources in many parts of her province are already stretched.

“Access in Alberta is healthier than some locations, but still not great,” she said. “We nonetheless have a hard time getting people in rural areas into the cities for their appointments, particularly because there are so few medical doctors which are yet prescribing abortion medication.”

Reinhardt-Simpson said an influx of people coming north might add to these challenges.

“We’re not really equipped for dealing with Albertans who need abortion care. We cannot even present comprehensive health providers for women or trans and non-binary folks in our own province,” she mentioned.

“So for certain, if people did come up here in massive numbers, there can be a really massive drawback.”

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