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

Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino says he will likely be talking with the Canada Border Services Company to verify its staff know Individuals looking for abortions can come to Canada for care.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Mendicino stated individuals within the U.S. may be feeling doubt about whether or not they will be able to entry abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, as a leaked draft ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court docket suggested earlier this week is imminent.

NEW: Minister @marcomendicino says he’s speaking with @CanBorder to ensure there are clear pointers so People who could not have the ability to access an abortion can come to Canada to take action. Says capability to take action isn’t in question but he needs to verify things are clear. pic.twitter.com/qEqVQuUKJT

— Abigail Bimman (@AbigailBimman) May 4, 2022

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Mendicino mentioned the flexibility of People to come back to Canada for abortions isn't in query, but he wants to guarantee that position is clear to those working on the frontlines at the border.

“I’ve engaged CBSA, my workplace is currently working with them to make sure there are clear guidelines so that women who could not be capable of access healthcare together with abortions are in a position to come to Canada,” he said.

“If some girls need to come to Canada to access these procedures, I've given them the directive to welcome them,” he added in French.

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

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What's unclear right now is whether any data on those people can be shared with American legislation enforcement or state officials looking to prosecute folks for travelling for an abortion, as some consultants have prompt could possibly be subsequent if Roe v. Wade falls.

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

Alexander Cohen, director of communications for Mendicino’s workplace, said the government does not share normal data relating to the purpose of journey for People coming to Canada, “and that would come with those who come to Canada for reproductive health purposes.”

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Could Canada turn into an abortion 'secure haven'?

In the context of abortion rights, jurisdictions that present entry to those outside their borders are also known as “protected havens.”

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States like California have vowed to enshrine abortion entry more strongly in their legal guidelines in the wake of the leaked U.S. Supreme Court docket draft ruling on Roe v. Wade, while consultants are additionally raising the possibility that for Americans near the Canadian border, this nation may turn out to be their nearest protected haven.

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

“I believe the massive challenges for Canadians are going to be ongoing access to abortion if Canada turns into a secure haven of People,” said Dr. Dustin Costescu, an associate professor at McMaster College as well as a household planning and sexual health specialist.

Costescu stated all the information out there right now suggests there will stay abortion entry in quite a few states along the Eastern Seaboard if Roe v. Wade falls, including New York.

That will imply Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes might not see a “vital” level of spillover.

“Michigan, on the other hand, becomes a bit of a sizzling spot in terms of whether abortion is accessible. As we move westward into the U.S. Midwest, that’s the place we see pockets of states that can fall when Roe v Wade falls,” he added.

“Geographically, this is thought-about ‘frontier country.’ These are giant distances. But if folks have to decide on to go a whole bunch of kilometers south or north [to access abortion], they may come up north.”

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

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

The help she and other abortion doulas offer includes help arranging journey, pickup and drop-off at sexual health clinics or abortion clinics, assist arranging lodging if a person has to leave their residence neighborhood to get the abortion, assist accessing correct data, in addition to emotional assist.

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

“Entry in Alberta is better than some locations, however still not great,” she mentioned. “We still have a tough time getting individuals in rural areas into the cities for his or her appointments, particularly as a result of there are so few doctors which might be yet prescribing abortion medicine.”

Reinhardt-Simpson mentioned an influx of people coming north might add to those challenges.

“We’re not really geared up for coping with Albertans who want abortion care. We can't even provide comprehensive well being providers for girls or trans and non-binary individuals in our personal province,” she stated.

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

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