A South Shore doctor says Canadians don’t need to worry about abortion laws being repealed but must remain vigilant.

Dr. Robyn MacQuarrie, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at South Shore Women’s Health, is referring to the recent repeal of the Roe v. Wade decision by the United States Supreme Court. The decision had protected the right to an abortion at the federal government level.

MacQuarrie is also an associate professor at Dalhousie University where she instructs future doctors on abortion laws in Canada.

She says there are many differences between the United States and Canada regarding abortion starting with the fact that there is no one law that governs abortion in Canada so none can be overturned.

“The statutes around abortion in Canada are that abortion is alegal, or outside the purview of the law. So, we don’t have to worry about one specific decision being overturned because in fact, the decision was to say this isn’t something that should be governed by Canadian law,” says MacQuarrie. “It’s not a legal issue. It’s a health decision, it’s not a legal issue.”

MacQuarrie points out another misconception held by some Canadians is that there is a time limit on when an abortion may be performed. She says a fetus is not considered a baby or person under the law.

“Personhood in Canada is governed by federal statutes and personhood is not conveyed until a person has drawn their first breath and is alive.”

MacQuarrie says she performs abortions up to 12 weeks because that’s what her training and equipment permit. She has heard anti-abortionists use late-term abortions as an argument against the practice but says in fact, those are quite rare.

“They’re very, very uncommon,” said MacQuarrie. “They’re typically the hardest decision that person’s ever had to make in their life.”

While readily available in Halifax, once going beyond the four regional hospitals that are within an hour of the city, access to abortion falls off drastically in Nova Scotia. A person on either end of the province would need to travel several hours to Halifax to undergo a medical or surgical abortion. MacQuarrie says that inequality to access needs to be addressed.

“We still have disparate accessibility depending on where people are located geographically. And typically, what comes along with geographical isolation is differences in income, differences in access to services,” said MacQuarrie. “So, it’s really important that it be argued meaningful access is really not fair across the province.”

MacQuarrie says even though there may be no one law that can be repealed in Canada, there are still other ways access to abortion can be limited.

She says the many people who warned the new appointees to the US Supreme Court would overturn the Roe v Wade decision were laughed off and told it would never happen and that can’t be permitted to occur in Canada.

“I often think people don’t have a good sense of what gaslighting is,” said MacQuarrie. “But that’s truly what happened when people were rightfully protesting, saying we’re worried we’re going to lose this long-protected statute in the U.S.. And so, all the people that poo-pooed them and said, don’t be silly, you’re really being dramatic. Well, in fact, that is in fact what came to pass. So, I encourage people to pay attention.”

To access abortion services anywhere in Nova Scotia, contact the Choice Clinic in Halifax. You can self-refer by calling 1-833-352-0719.

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