The abortion pill still not available in the province

Photo Chantal Poirier
Abortion clinics, but also doctors, pharmacists and the Quebec Federation for planned parenthood still do not know when and how it will be distributed free of charge to the abortion pill. The Federation hoped that all doctors will prescribe it.

Elisa Cloutier

Sunday, 10 dec 2017 00:00

UPDATE
Sunday, 10 dec 2017 00:00

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The abortion pill, which must be available in Québec by the ” end of autumn “, is still far from being market, that is of concern to different stakeholders in termination of pregnancy.

The government announced with great fanfare a few months ago that the abortion pill, approved by Health Canada for 2015, would finally be offered free of charge to Quebec.

When will it be available, how will it be distributed, who will be able to prescribe it and how will it be administered ? Questions that remain unanswered at the Quebec Federation for planned parenthood.

“We have no concrete indication. It is still impossible to know if this will be distributed in all pharmacies or not, ” asks Charli Lessard, coordinator of the Federation.

Interviewed by The Newspaper, nor the Order of pharmacists, or the College of physicians, nor the ministry of Health are able to give more details on the protocol to put in place.

Same scenario as in Ottawa ?

The lack of information is felt up to the border of Ottawa, where the pill is available free of charge from the month of August.

“There are regular women who call in to ask if we have it, but it refers to Ottawa,” says Patricia LaRue, executive director of the Clinic for women in the Outaouais, located in Gatineau.

Photo Samuel Blais-Gauthier

Patricia LaRue

The arrival of the medication at Ottawa, however, has been marked by a ” severe lack of information “, according to the centre Planned Parenthood Ottawa. The pill would be hard to find. “We receive between two and ten calls per day from people who don’t know how to access it,” says Ariane Wylie, coordinator at the centre of planning.

According to it, the number of doctors who have completed the training to prescribe is inadequate, and the following process the order is ” too heavy “. “It is sure that it is good that she will be reimbursed by the government, but this is only one part of the puzzle,” says Ms. Wylie.

“I support the doctors of many provinces, and we hear the same message : the people do not have the time nor the resources to effect the pill [of abortion] “, she adds.

Women in the regions

A same voice, the Quebec Federation for planned parenthood and the Clinic of women admit to worrying about review the scenario “Ottawa” reproduce in us.

The Federation hoped that all doctors will prescribe it and will be equipped to do, especially in the regions, where the abortion clinics are rare.

“As there is an ultrasound necessary with the intake of the medication, it should not be that the woman has to do 250 km to get to the hospital for that,” she said.

In addition, a first dose of the pill may need to be administered before the doctor who specializes in pregnancy termination, such as is the case in Ottawa. This is not desirable for women in the regions, according to Ms. LaRue.

The abortion pill

Photo courtesy

• Combination of two drugs used to terminate pregnancy by inducing miscarriage.
• Health Canada has recently announced that it will be possible to take the abortion pill up to nine weeks of pregnancy, compared with seven previously.
• Women who want to get a surgical abortion in clinic can still do so.
• Health Canada recommends that it is no longer necessary for health professionals to register before you prescribe it. The obligation to obtain the written consent of the patient to use Mifegymiso has also been removed.
• It is the responsibility of the provinces to designate the medical professionals who can prescribe Mifegymiso and determine the way in which the pill will be distributed.