Medical groups calling on Fredericton to expand access to surgical abortions following closure of Clinic 554

The clinic blamed its closure on the province’s refusal to fund surgical abortions performed outside of hospitals. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada says it’s unacceptable to leave large swaths of the province without local access to surgical abortion procedures. The New Brunswick Medical Society has long called for the province to change the policy preventing the funding of out of hospital surgical abortions and says the closure of Clinic 554 represents another barrier to access. N.B. is the only province that doesn’t allow surgical abortions performed outside of hospital through Medicare. The policy is being challenged by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.