Manitoba lawmaker is lobbying for her province to foot the bill for low-income users of abortion pills
Canada’s healthcare system generally covers procedures and products that are medically necessary, and exactly what counts as “medically necessary” is often subject to debate. St. Johns, Manitoba MLA Nahanni Fontaine is engaged in one such argument over the abortion pill Mifegysimo, according to the Winnipeg Sun.
“We know that it’s going to come to market,” Fontaine said, referring to how the drug recently passed one of Health Canada’s approval processes. “We need to ensure there’s accessibility and affordability. It’s going to (cost) anywhere between $270 and $300. That’s a lot of money.”
Fontaine argued that the since the drug nullifies the need to undergo surgery in terminating a pregnancy, it is essential medicine for women’s reproductive health. “It is Manitoba women’s right to have control over their reproductive health and this is an essential part of that,” she said, calling for a provincial dispensing and regulation plan for the drug, especially for low-income women who are especially vulnerable to cost barriers.
Health Canada wants to monitor use of the pill because of potentially lethal side effects. The drug has been approved for use in more than 60 countries around the world, including the US.
Manitoba Minister for the Status of Women, Rochelle Squires said that Mifegysimo is still awaiting a federal common drug review, a process the manufacturer applied for on Oct. 7 that typically takes about six months to complete. Following that would be an assessment by a national committee.
“It is unprecedented for any drug to skip that process and be expedited and put (under public coverage) without having gone through all the checks and balances at Health Canada,” said Squires. “And so, I would not want to do anything that would put anybody’s health in jeopardy.”
Quebec’s decision to cover the drug using public funds is an isolated case, said Squires, since the province doesn’t operate under the national system. However, she also clarified that any hesitation to commit funds toward coverage for Mifegysimo isn’t linked to an anti-abortion stance – something that Fontaine suspects given tough federal regulations on prescriptions, such as a Health Canada requirement for doctors to directly give their patients the pill and watch them take it.
Squires stopped short of explicitly committing to coverage should the drug pass all regulatory hurdles. Though Premier Brian Pallister has indicated a pro-choice stance, his position seems similarly unclear.
“It’s a women’s issue and it’s a woman’s right to choose,” said Pallister.
Related stories:
Federal government faces lawsuit from Canadian drug maker
Access to abortion drug could be hampered by lack of coverage
“We know that it’s going to come to market,” Fontaine said, referring to how the drug recently passed one of Health Canada’s approval processes. “We need to ensure there’s accessibility and affordability. It’s going to (cost) anywhere between $270 and $300. That’s a lot of money.”
Fontaine argued that the since the drug nullifies the need to undergo surgery in terminating a pregnancy, it is essential medicine for women’s reproductive health. “It is Manitoba women’s right to have control over their reproductive health and this is an essential part of that,” she said, calling for a provincial dispensing and regulation plan for the drug, especially for low-income women who are especially vulnerable to cost barriers.
Health Canada wants to monitor use of the pill because of potentially lethal side effects. The drug has been approved for use in more than 60 countries around the world, including the US.
Manitoba Minister for the Status of Women, Rochelle Squires said that Mifegysimo is still awaiting a federal common drug review, a process the manufacturer applied for on Oct. 7 that typically takes about six months to complete. Following that would be an assessment by a national committee.
“It is unprecedented for any drug to skip that process and be expedited and put (under public coverage) without having gone through all the checks and balances at Health Canada,” said Squires. “And so, I would not want to do anything that would put anybody’s health in jeopardy.”
Quebec’s decision to cover the drug using public funds is an isolated case, said Squires, since the province doesn’t operate under the national system. However, she also clarified that any hesitation to commit funds toward coverage for Mifegysimo isn’t linked to an anti-abortion stance – something that Fontaine suspects given tough federal regulations on prescriptions, such as a Health Canada requirement for doctors to directly give their patients the pill and watch them take it.
Squires stopped short of explicitly committing to coverage should the drug pass all regulatory hurdles. Though Premier Brian Pallister has indicated a pro-choice stance, his position seems similarly unclear.
“It’s a women’s issue and it’s a woman’s right to choose,” said Pallister.
Related stories:
Federal government faces lawsuit from Canadian drug maker
Access to abortion drug could be hampered by lack of coverage
