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

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

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Mendicino mentioned folks within the U.S. may be feeling doubt about whether they are going to be capable of access abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, as a leaked draft ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court recommended earlier this week is imminent.

NEW: Minister @marcomendicino says he’s speaking with @CanBorder to verify there are clear pointers so Americans who might not have the ability to access an abortion can come to Canada to do so. Says capacity to take action isn’t in question however he desires to verify things are clear. pic.twitter.com/qEqVQuUKJT

— Abigail Bimman (@AbigailBimman) Could 4, 2022

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Mendicino said the ability of Americans to come back to Canada for abortions will not be in query, but he needs to make sure that place is evident to those engaged on the frontlines on the border.

“I’ve engaged CBSA, my office is currently working with them to make sure there are clear guidelines so that women who could not have the ability to access healthcare including abortions are able to come to Canada,” he mentioned.

“If some women want to come to Canada to entry those procedures, I have given them the directive to welcome them,” he added in French.

Mendicino billed the move as a “measure of caution” within the occasion Roe v. Wade is overturned and described the hope as being to “remove any ambiguity” that border officers could have as as to if someone travelling to Canada for an abortion is eligible to enter the country.

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What's unclear at the moment is whether or not any info on these people would be shared with American regulation enforcement or state officials trying to prosecute people for travelling for an abortion, as some consultants have recommended may very well be next if Roe v. Wade falls.

Canada and the U.S. have extensive cross-border data sharing agreements designed to make it easier to flag individuals who might pose a risk to national safety, or who're violating immigration rules.

Alexander Cohen, director of communications for Mendicino’s office, said the federal government doesn't share general information concerning the purpose of journey for People coming to Canada, “and that would include those that come to Canada for reproductive health purposes.”

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In the context of abortion rights, jurisdictions that provide entry to those outdoors their borders are often referred to as “protected havens.”

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States like California have vowed to enshrine abortion entry extra strongly of their laws in the wake of the leaked U.S. Supreme Court docket draft ruling on Roe v. Wade, while experts are also raising the possibility 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 massive challenges for Canadians are going to be ongoing entry to abortion if Canada becomes a protected haven of Individuals,” stated Dr. Dustin Costescu, an affiliate professor at McMaster College in addition to a household planning and sexual health specialist.

Costescu mentioned all the knowledge out there right now suggests there will stay abortion entry in quite a lot of states alongside the Eastern Seaboard if Roe v. Wade falls, together with New York.

That will imply Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes may not see a “significant” stage of spillover.

“Michigan, alternatively, turns into a bit of a sizzling spot when it comes to whether abortion is accessible. As we transfer westward into the U.S. Midwest, that’s where we see pockets of states that will fall when Roe v Wade falls,” he added.

“Geographically, that is thought of ‘frontier country.’ These are giant distances. But if individuals have to decide on to go lots of of kilometers south or north [to access abortion], they might come up north.”

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Read more: How abortion entry differs across U.S. — and how overturning Roe v. Wade may change it

Autumn Reinhardt-Simpson is the founding father of the Alberta Abortion Access Network, and works as what’s referred to as an abortion doula. Which means her job is helping individuals who need abortions access them.

The support she and other abortion doulas supply contains help arranging travel, pickup and drop-off at sexual health clinics or abortion clinics, assist arranging lodging if a person has to leave their residence group to get the abortion, assist accessing correct info, in addition to emotional support.

She informed World Information on Tuesday that assets in lots of components of her province are already stretched.

“Access in Alberta is best than some places, but still not great,” she stated. “We nonetheless have a hard time getting people in rural areas into the cities for their appointments, especially because there are so few medical doctors that are yet prescribing abortion treatment.”

Reinhardt-Simpson said an inflow of individuals coming north could add to these challenges.

“We’re probably not outfitted for dealing with Albertans who want abortion care. We can not even present comprehensive health services for ladies or trans and non-binary folks in our own province,” she mentioned.

“So for certain, if folks did come up right here in massive numbers, there would be a very huge downside.”

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