New Brunswick is the only province in Canada who does not fund private surgical abortions
performed outside of a hospital.
New Brunswick (N.B.) currently only has three hospitals that perform surgical abortions, two in Moncton and one in Bathurst. For some New Brunswickers they could be travelling hours to reach their nearest hospital that performs surgical abortions.
There are women who are not able to get enough time off to account for the long drive to the nearest hospital. For women who are low income and do not have a vehicle or a family member or friend to drive them this makes accessing a surgical abortion practically impossible.
A surgical abortion can be completed up to 14 weeks and does not require a referral from a physician. Surgical abortions if performed in a hospital are covered by Medicare.
The three hospitals and their phone numbers listed here:
1. The Moncton Hospital (Moncton), 1-844-806-9205
2. The Dr. Georges L. Dumont University Hospital Centre (Moncton), 506-862-4000
3. The Chaleur Regional Hospital (Bathurst), 506-544-3000
In 2017 Mifegymiso, an abortion pill became available in New Brunswick. Mifegymiso can be used for medical termination of pregnancy up to 49 days. Mifegymiso can be prescribed by any doctor or nurse practitioner in N.B. Mifegymiso is completely covered with a valid medicare card for New Brunswickers.
The Saint John Sexual Health Centre (506-658-3998) offers prescriptions for medication to induce abortions.
While New Brunswick has taken steps in making abortions more accessible, many believe there is still has a lot more to do to make them truly easily accessible for all New Brunswickers. In the future many women hope to see more hospitals performing surgical abortions for easier access as well as government funding to private clinics.
