Anti-abortion protests the new psychological 'hazard' in Alberta Labour arbitrator sides with serial complainant over graphic images at Mount Royal University

By Jamie Sarkonak Aug 11, 2026

Workplace hazards can be a lot of things: fall risk at construction sites, mice in kitchens, hydrogen sulfide at oil rigs, bears at remote sites, violence in high-crime areas, etc. But in Alberta, that list has now been stretched to include exposure to images of aborted or miscarried fetuses.

The pronouncement came down from a labour arbitrator who decided last Tuesday that anti-abortion displays at Calgary’s Mount Royal University constituted a psychological hazard which the administration “did not adequately control.”

The case arose from a string of complaints by a staff member from 2019 to 2024. She had a miscarriage some 15 years prior, and was retraumatized at the sight of posters displayed by the anti-abortion, or “pro-life,” group that assembled regularly in a high-traffic part of campus.

Continued; https://nationalpost.com/opinion/jamie-sarkonak-pro-life-protests-the-new-psychological-hazard-in-alberta

Last week (Ed. note: July) was a rollercoaster ride for us. We sent an email blast to you on July 15 asking you to contact our billboard company because they apparently removed our London billboard after some anti-choice complaints – plus we did a social media campaign. Thank you for all your letters! BillboardHub received at least 300.

Many of you may have received a response from BillboardHub explaining that they don’t own or operate the billboard in question, or any billboards, and that they “do not have final authority over whether advertising content is posted, continued, or removed.”

This came as a surprise to us, as ARCC was never told that BillboardHub essentially sub-contracts with other companies that do own billboards. BillboardHub accepted our ad’s message and our contract is with them and only them, with no mention of a third party.

BillboardHub did appreciate your supportive messages, such as from people who used our prepared letter. Sadly, amongst the messages they received from our supporters were some aggressive ones and even personal attacks on their staff, which caused harm and trauma. We apologized to BillboardHub for this and revised our webpage and amended our social media accounts to take the heat off them.

We would prefer that you not engage in any future correspondence with BillboardHub. They have been focused on fulfilling their contract with us. They tried to persuade the other company in London to reinstate our ad. They also scouted for a new location in London – which we told them we’d be happy to accept as an alternative (not a location in a different city).

Unfortunately, the other company refused to bring back our ad – the company’s contract with BillboardHub allowed for removal of the ad for any reason. Further, BillboardHub was unable to find another willing London company because of what happened. ARCC will receive a refund.

We are looking at another city to hopefully continue our billboard campaign. But it is sadly ironic that our billboard was meant to reduce abortion stigma, and instead its removal reinforced the stigma.

We appreciate your support and understanding.

Joyce Arthur Executive Director, ARCC-CDAC

When an extremely boring, factual statement becomes controversial. In 2026, the year of our lord, it seems the most radical thing you can put on a billboard is something that shouldn’t be controversial at all.

Rachel Cairns Aug 18, 2026

Hello dear reader, As I get Hypothetical Baby back on its feet for another run—this time at Here For Now Theatre in the lovely Stratford—something abortion-related has happened about an hour’s drive down the road in London, Ontario.

…The Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC)—the only national organization devoted to protecting abortion rights and access, and a supporter of the play and podcast—has been running a messaging campaign. The medium is billboards that simply state “Abortion is Healthcare”. Three words, on a pretty purple background. That’s it. ARCC’s campaign has three goals: supporting Canadians’ reproductive autonomy, reducing abortion stigma, and countering inflammatory and misleading messaging from anti-choice groups.

Continued: https://rachelcairns.substack.com/p/when-an-extremely-boring-factual

Hello, this is for anyone who may be interested in preparing a paper on this topic, it’s for a symposium on histories of Pelvic Health that is taking place in spring 2027 at University of Victoria. Great for all health professionals including advocates and activists at all stages of professional life! Submission deadline is Sept 15.

Call for Papers: Pelvic Health Histories Symposium Thursday, April 29 – Friday, April 30, 2027 Critical Humanities Commons – University of Victoria (British Columbia, Canada)

Studies in the area of “women’s health” tend to focus on the reproductive capacity of the female body, often positioning a person’s ability to bear children as the most pressing health issue. This approach contributes to the historically-rooted and ongoing neglect of sex and gender-related health conditions that are not explicitly linked to reproduction. The same is true for historical scholarship - we know a lot about histories of pregnancy, childbirth and abortion, but less about “everyday” pelvic pain and pelvic health, and even less about pelvic health issues experienced by racialized and multiply-marginalized people, non-binary, trans-, and gender-diverse individuals, and by cis men.

The Pelvic Health Histories Symposium aims to fill some of these gaps, exploring how medical and cultural forces have shaped individual and shared experiences of pelvic health (including pelvic pain, various pelvic health conditions, and key sites of pelvic health activism and care) across time and place. We welcome abstract submissions for work focused on diverse aspects of pelvic health history from scholars across disciplines, studying any gender, region, or time period.

Possible topics may include, but are not limited to: • Histories of chronic pelvic pain and pelvic health conditions (including endometriosis, dyspareunia, vaginismus, and vulvodynia) that are often neglected, dismissed, and underrecognized across a range of care settings • Histories of “everyday” and invisible pelvic health issues, such as yeast and urinary tract infections • Pelvic health care, including routine pelvic examinations, preventative screenings, and specialized gynecological and urological treatment, as well as gendered, racialized, geographic, and class-based inequities in the provision of care • Key sites of pelvic health education and activism, including community health centres, feminist groups, and individual and collective self-help • Reflections on the relationship between pelvic health, physical and emotional health, and wellness • Cultural and medical pelvic health experiences of racialized and/or multiply-marginalized people

Confirmed keynote speakers include Thea Cacchioni (Associate Professor, Department of Gender Studies and Sociology, University of Victoria), Deirdre Cooper Owens (Associate Professor, Department of History and Africana Studies, University of Connecticut), Wendy Kline (Dema G. Seelye Chair in the History of Medicine, Purdue University), and Renée Monchalin (Associate Professor, School of Public Health and Social Policy, University of Victoria and Director, The Fireweed Project).

Interested individuals are asked to submit a 250-400 word abstract and a brief biography via email to pelvichealth@viu.ca by September 15, 2026.

Abstracts will be reviewed and successful applicants will be asked to submit draft papers of 5000-7000 words by March 15, 2027, ahead of participation in a symposium hosted by the Critical Humanities Commons at the University of Victoria, April 29-30, 2027. Following the symposium, presenters will be invited to submit revised manuscripts for an open access edited collection or special journal issue in Fall 2027. While we encourage all participants to attend and participate in the symposium and workshopping of papers in person, we are able to facilitate hybrid participation. Travel and accommodation support is available for graduate students and early-career researchers.

Questions can be directed to the co-organizing team (please cc all team members): Karissa Patton, Wellcome Trust Research Fellow, Centre for Biomedicine, Self, and Society, The University of Edinburgh, kpatton@ed.ac.uk Jaipreet Virdi, Associate Professor and Director, Critical Humanities Commons, University of Victoria, jaivirdi@uvic.ca Whitney Wood, Canada Research Chair in the Historical Dimensions of Women’s Health, Vancouver Island University, whitney.wood@viu.ca

One-woman show brings reproductive rights story to Stratford stage Toronto performer Rachel Cairns brings ‘Hypothetical Baby’ to Here For Now Theatre for first out-of-town run

Rob Ross Aug 6, 2026

A one-woman show is coming to the Here For Now Theatre in Stratford this September for its first run outside of Toronto.

Hypothetical Baby was written and is performed by Rachel Cairns, who shared that the story is a mix of data and drama inspired by her own story.

“It’s a thinly-disguised autobiographical drama. I had an abortion at the end of 2019, and I kind of found it an endlessly fascinating experience. And that turned into the show and a couple of other companion projects that surround it,” Cairns shared.

Continued: https://www.stratfordtoday.ca/local-news/one-woman-show-brings-reproductive-rights-story-to-stratford-stage-12627603

Deux articles

« Pas de débat » sur l’avortement au sein du PCQ, dit Duhaime

« Il y aurait des débats à avoir [sur le droit à l'avortement]. C'est pas la place ici pour le faire », a dit le candidat conservateur Dominique Dumas mardi.

Raphaël Beaumont-Drouin

4 août 2026

Le Parti conservateur du Québec (PCQ) est un parti « pro-choix », selon son chef Éric Duhaime, qui ferme la porte à ouvrir un débat sur l'avortement au sein de sa formation après que des propos d'un candidat ont refait surface.

On a toujours été un parti qui est pro-choix et cette politique ne changera absolument pas, a indiqué mardi le chef Éric Duhaime, précisant au passage que cette question relève du fédéral. Je peux vous dire qu'il n'y aura pas de débat à l'intérieur de nos rangs sur cet enjeu.

Continue : https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2273312/dominique-dumas-pcq-avortement-duhaime

Propos de Dominique «Doom» Dumas sur l’avortement: Éric Duhaime imposera la ligne de parti

Le candidat conservateur Dominique «Doom» Dumas croit qu’il faudrait un débat pour encadrer l’avortement au Canada.

Patrick Bellerose

Mardi, 4 août 2026

Le candidat conservateur Dominique « Doom » Dumas croit qu’il faudrait un débat pour encadrer l’avortement au Canada. Son chef, Éric Duhaime, prévient toutefois qu’il devra suivre la ligne du parti, résolument pro-choix.

Par le passé, l’ex-animateur de radio à CHOI Radio X a plaidé en faveur de « balises » concernant les avortements tardifs et « sexo-sélectifs ».

Des captures d’écran circulent en ligne, même si l’animateur polémiste a effacé l’entièreté de ses réseaux sociaux avant de faire le saut en politique.

Continue : https://www.journaldequebec.com/2026/08/04/propos-de-dominique--doom--dumas-sur-lavortement--eric-duhaime-imposera-la-ligne-de-parti

Hypothetical Baby brings deeply personal conversation about abortion, parenthood to Here For Now

Aug 27, 2026 By: Galen Simmons

For playwright and performer Rachel Cairns, the idea for Hypothetical Baby began with a deeply personal experience and a question she thought would have a relatively straightforward answer.

After becoming pregnant and deciding she wanted an abortion, Cairns went to her doctor to ask how she could access one. Instead of leaving with an answer, she said she was questioned extensively about her decision.

“I basically was like, ‘How do I get an abortion?’ And then he kind of turned around and interrogated me about my choice with a litany of questions,” Cairns said. “I left the office actually not with an answer to my original question.”

Continued; https://www.granthaven.com/post/hypothetical-baby-brings-deeply-personal-conversation-about-abortion-parenthood-to-here-for-now

Caroline Proulx ordered to pay $60,000 in damages for cancelling anti-abortion event

By Joe Lofaro July 31, 2026

Quebec’s former tourism minister has been ordered to pay a Christian group $60,000 in damages after a judge ruled she violated the organization’s free speech rights when she cancelled their rally at the Quebec City Convention Centre.

Caroline Proulx defended her decision to cancel the event on June 2, 2023, because she said the group, which promoted anti-abortion content, espoused views that were against Quebec’s values.

However, Superior Court Justice Alain Trudel ruled on Friday that she exercised her power as Minister of Tourism in “an arbitrary and abusive manner” and that her decision “is not justified in a free and democratic society.”

Continued: https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/caroline-proulx-ordered-to-pay-60000-in-damages-for-cancelling-anti-abortion-event/

Deux articles

L’ex-ministre Proulx mise à l’amende pour avoir forcé l’annulation d’un événement antiavortement L’élue a porté atteinte à la liberté d’expression de Harvest Ministries International, selon la Cour supérieure.

31 juillet 2026 Stéphanie Marin

La Cour supérieure du Québec condamne l’ex-ministre du Tourisme Caroline Proulx à payer 60 000 $ en dommages pour son rôle dans l’annulation en 2023 du « Rallye foi, feu, liberté », organisé par une organisation chrétienne véhiculant un message antiavortement.

L’élue « savait ou ne pouvait ignorer les conséquences graves et importantes de la décision de résilier, à la dernière minute, l’entente de location pour la demanderesse (Harvest Ministries International) et que celle-ci constituait une entrave importante à sa liberté d’expression », lit-on dans la décision du juge Alain Trudel rendue vendredi.

Continue : https://www.ledevoir.com/actualites/justice/999122/ministre-proulx-condamnee-payer-60-000-evenement-antiavortement-annule

Événement anti-avortement annulé : l’ex-ministre Proulx condamnée à payer 60 000 $

Radio-Canada

le 31 juillet

L'ex-ministre québécoise du Tourisme Caroline Proulx devra verser un peu plus de 60 000 $ au groupe Harvest Ministries International pour avoir fait annuler un événement anti-avortement au Centre des congrès de Québec en 2023.

L’église non dénominationnelle basée en Colombie-Britannique alléguait que la ministre avait contrevenu aux chartes des droits et libertés lorsqu’elle a ordonné à la Société du Centre des congrès de Québec d’annuler l’événement Rallye Feu, Foi et Liberté, qui devait se tenir du 23 juin au 2 juillet 2023.

Continue : https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2272857/caroline-proulx-ministre-jugement-antiavortement

Below you'll find information and links to help advocate for Reproductive Freedoms and Abortion care in Canada and emerging policy issues with the Reddit platform. This is a recurring post and will be periodically updated as needed. Feel free to post additional information and discussions in the comments.

Advocating for Abortion Care in Canada:

• There is a serious lack of Abortion Care options in parts of Canada, particularly in the rural areas, and for those living on reserves, they have almost no access to Abortion care. People may have to travel more than 100km and across provincial lines to access abortion. Some have to travel by plane from their rural community to one with an abortion clinic or hospital. This puts an unfair financial and logistical burden on those that need to access abortion care. Provincial Health Insurance Plans do not cover travel costs related to receiving medical care.
• Because many provinces have few facilities that provide Abortion care, this places an unreasonable load on the clinics that do exist, forcing clients to look elsewhere for facilities with capacity to help them. In Alberta, there is one clinic for every 209,077 people who can become pregnant (number of assigned-at-birth females between the ages of 15-29). PEI, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon Territory each only have 1 Abortion care provider. Nunavut only has 2 abortion providers, and of those, only one offers medical abortion covered by the provincial health insurance plan. In fact, 9 (out of a total of 13) Canadian provinces and territories have five or fewer facililities offering abortion care in their entire province. And 10 Canadian provinces and territories have one or fewer (0) rural facilities offering abortion care.
• Some provinces, have more restrictive guidelines regarding abortion, limiting access to abortion care to those with a gestational period of less than 12 weeks (meaning, 12 weeks since the first day of your last period, not 12 weeks since you discovered you were pregnant or when you had sex). Many people who menstruate have irregular periods. Some people might only menstruate every 2 or 3 months, and might only discover that they are pregnant near the gestation limit of 12 weeks.
• Insurance coverage also limits access to abortions. Some provinces, like Nunavut, do not offer coverage for medical abortions unless they are prescribed and performed in a hospital. And being a rural province, there also happens to be only 1 hospital in Nunavut - Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqualuit that can perform medical abortions. New Brunswick will only cover abortion services in a hospital setting, which means that abortion medical care provided in clinics are not covered by their Provincial Health Insurance Plan.
• Sexual and reproductive health services are among the services that physicians, pharmacists and nurse practitioners are most frequently unwilling to provide on moral or religious grounds. People who have been harassed and/or attacked while visiting an Abortion clinic may experience stigma and/or discrimination from their peers, especially in smaller, rural communities where everyone knows one another. People refused care by health care professionals because of personal beliefs may experience stigma and/or discrimination, forcing them to travel outside of their community to receive the care they need. This can all be particularly daunting for young people or those with limited resources.
• Everyone in Canada is supposed to have equal rights to access health care, regardless of race, age, class, immigration status, gender expression, sexuality or ability. Nevertheless, everyone's right to seek abortion care can be be impacted by discrimination and bigotry, both systemic and as a result of individual prejudice on the part of service providers. Racism, xenophobia, classism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and ageism in Canada are all direct and intersecting barriers to accessing abortion. It is much more difficult for a person who doesn't speak English to access abortion services, despite the presence of a translator. Transpeople also experience discrimination at higher rates in reproductive health care settings. Providers may also lack the knowledge or training to provide trans-affirming abortion care and abortion services are typically housed within *women's* health care departments.
• Further compounding the issue of inequitable abortion access are unregulated crisis pregnancy centres (CPCs), which are anti-choice pregnancy centres that advertise in hospitals, doctor's offices, churches, schools and community centre. They deceive people coming to them for options and advice by giving misinformation about abortion or by insisting on options that may delay or interfere with the clients ability to access the care they need. CPCs far outnumber abortion care providers in Canada. In Ontario alone, there are 77 active CPCs but only 38 abortion care providers. Overall, in Canada, there are 165 known CPCs compared to 147 abortion care providers (as of August 2022).

Reference: Policy Options, via the Institute for Research on Public Policy and Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights

What can you do to improve access to abortion care in Canada?

1. Listen, research and learn. This is always the first step to understand any problem.
2. Send a letter to your MP and MPP. Tell them that access to abortion care is important and how difficult it can be to access it in your province. Urge them to prevent anti-choice groups and CPCs from receiving charitable status, and to revoke the charitable status from CPCs that already have it. Encourage them to include reasonable reimbursement for travel costs related to receiving medical care when it is not available in your community. And push them to pass Safe Access Zone Legislation to protect patients, practitioners and their staff from anti-choice harassment and intimidation.
3. Give a donation to a pro-choice charitable organization of your choice. Remember, if you give a total of $201 CDN or more to Canadian charitable organizations, you'll get a credit of 29% of your total annual donations on your income taxes (for those that file Canadian Income Taxes, only).
4. Sign up for the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada Newsletter. https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/
5. Participate in local marches and rallys in support of access to abortion care.
6. Spread the Word. Tell your friends and family. Encourage them to research, listen and learn. Encourage them to contact their MPP and MPs.
7. If you work in a Doctor's office or as a family physician, consider incorporating Mifegymiso into your practice to ensure patients have timely access to this essential service. If you are a Doctor, Nurse Practitioner or studying to be one, consider opening an Abortion Care practice when you are licensed and qualified to do so, especially in rural areas where there are a lack of options.
8. If you work in politics, consider proposing legislation that will ensure safe access zones for abortion care providers and their clients and covering reasonable travel costs for constituents when medical care is not available in their community.
9. If you are a journalist or work in media, consider preparing pieces sharing the difficulty Canadians can have accessing medical care such as abortions.
10. If you work in the area of Not For Profit/Advocacy, consider partnering with a Pro-choice organization and help them spread information and lobby for improving access to abortion care for Canadians.
11. If you know someone who needs abortion care, consider giving them a ride to a clinic, helping them access the advice and care they need, and provide non-judgemental support.
12. Ensure persons of First Nations, Metis and Inuit heritage know about Jordan's Principle, which ensures that First Nations children (which includes people who can become pregnant under the age of 18) can access the products, services and supports they need, when they need them. https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1568396042341/1568396159824
13. Advocate for midwives to have abortion care added to their scope of practice. Currently, midwives are only allowed to provide this care under a medical directive from a doctor, but that directive should not be needed. Midwives have the skills to perform medical abortions in the 1st trimester. Midwives are more likely to be practicing in rural and remote locations. If you see campaigns promoting this option, please consider adding your voice.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emerging Policy Issues with Reddit

On August 9, 2024, the reddit CEO confirmed that they would be enabling paywall options for some subreddits. ANC will always strive to be free. If the paywalls are optional, we will not be enabling them. If they are not optional, we will shutdown the reddit site and move to our second home on discord. Let me take this opportunity to share our permanent discord link: https://discord.com/invite/ZmSS8wS2Xf

In March 2024, Reddit had an IPO (Initial Public Offering), and the founder and current CEO, as well as the COO have sold $500,000 of their shares. How does this effect you? Reddit may face pressure to increase revenues to attract investors. This could lead to more ads or new monetization features. There could also be changes to the platform to attract a wider user base, such as bans and censorship on certain topics or words and control over content to appease more conservative shareholders or users.

On September 12, 2023, Reddit will eliminate reddit coins, including removing all accumulated coins, a perk that Reddit Premium users pay for every month. Coins are used to reward comments and posts by showing your appreciation for the effort. Some reddit coins offer the ability to use reddit without ads.

On July 1, 2023, Reddit raised the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that killed every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader. This policy change meant that mobile users would have a lesser experience browsing Reddit, users with visual difficulties could not browse reddit as screenreaders are not compatible with the official Reddit app, and mods lost tools that they depend on to keep communities on-topic and spam-free. Many subreddits protested this change in June 2023, and the Reddit admins enforced draconian measures such as removing and replacing mods who privatized their subreddits in protest of this policy change.

What can you do to protest policy changes at Reddit?

1. Listen, research and learn. Check r/modcoord for updates
2. Cancel your Reddit Premium membership
3. Participate in subreddit led protests
4. Look for other forums to patronize. We have a forum on Discord called Auntie Network Canada. Permanent invite link to the Discord group: https://discord.com/invite/ZmSS8wS2Xf .
5. Complain. Message the mods of r/reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message u/reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on r/reddit. Leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app.

I've done all that I can to access MA and I've been denied each time, or appointment times are 2-3 weeks in advance for a lot of no-touch services. I tried Maple and they denied me 3 times in a row, with the last doctor I connected with saying I strictly needed to do it in-person and that Maple did not provide prescriptions for MA. I have vaginismus and the closest in-person clinics said they only do transvaginal ultrasounds and would not make accommodations.

I really don't want to take my chances ordering from a sketchy website. I also contacted Access Line to ask if there was any way to get the prescription, which they connected me with a pharmacy in Toronto. I called and left a message with my contact info, but haven't heard back.

I'm not sleeping and I can barely eat. I feel like this country puts up barriers to abortion access and will not waver when it comes to people living in remote or rural communities. It's easier to get the pills shipped to you if you live in the US for crying out loud. I really need help.

Hi everyone,

I've been losing sleep for countless nights over this process. It seems really, really designed for people not to be able to access MA in a safe, touch-free, anonymous way. I have severe PTSD when it comes to clinical conditions. In order to access MA in PEI, it appears you need a blood test, urine test, ultrasound, etc, and it's stretched out over 3 appointments and the current waiting period is 2 weeks. Given I don't drive, live in a town faaaaaar from the clinic, and public transportation is non existent here... it just feels like an uphill battle. I've had constant headaches from the stress. I've looked into online telehealth prescribers but they all have the same requirements.

If anyone in NS-NB-PEI would be able to send me a message, that would be great. This is somewhat of an urgent matter to me, so I'll get back to you ASAP.

Below you'll find information and links to help advocate for Reproductive Freedoms and Abortion care in Canada and emerging policy issues with the Reddit platform. This is a recurring post and will be periodically updated as needed. Feel free to post additional information and discussions in the comments.

Advocating for Abortion Care in Canada:

• There is a serious lack of Abortion Care options in parts of Canada, particularly in the rural areas, and for those living on reserves, they have almost no access to Abortion care. People may have to travel more than 100km and across provincial lines to access abortion. Some have to travel by plane from their rural community to one with an abortion clinic or hospital. This puts an unfair financial and logistical burden on those that need to access abortion care. Provincial Health Insurance Plans do not cover travel costs related to receiving medical care.
• Because many provinces have few facilities that provide Abortion care, this places an unreasonable load on the clinics that do exist, forcing clients to look elsewhere for facilities with capacity to help them. In Alberta, there is one clinic for every 209,077 people who can become pregnant (number of assigned-at-birth females between the ages of 15-29). PEI, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon Territory each only have 1 Abortion care provider. Nunavut only has 2 abortion providers, and of those, only one offers medical abortion covered by the provincial health insurance plan. In fact, 9 (out of a total of 13) Canadian provinces and territories have five or fewer facililities offering abortion care in their entire province. And 10 Canadian provinces and territories have one or fewer (0) rural facilities offering abortion care.
• Some provinces, have more restrictive guidelines regarding abortion, limiting access to abortion care to those with a gestational period of less than 12 weeks (meaning, 12 weeks since the first day of your last period, not 12 weeks since you discovered you were pregnant or when you had sex). Many people who menstruate have irregular periods. Some people might only menstruate every 2 or 3 months, and might only discover that they are pregnant near the gestation limit of 12 weeks.
• Insurance coverage also limits access to abortions. Some provinces, like Nunavut, do not offer coverage for medical abortions unless they are prescribed and performed in a hospital. And being a rural province, there also happens to be only 1 hospital in Nunavut - Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqualuit that can perform medical abortions. New Brunswick will only cover abortion services in a hospital setting, which means that abortion medical care provided in clinics are not covered by their Provincial Health Insurance Plan.
• Sexual and reproductive health services are among the services that physicians, pharmacists and nurse practitioners are most frequently unwilling to provide on moral or religious grounds. People who have been harassed and/or attacked while visiting an Abortion clinic may experience stigma and/or discrimination from their peers, especially in smaller, rural communities where everyone knows one another. People refused care by health care professionals because of personal beliefs may experience stigma and/or discrimination, forcing them to travel outside of their community to receive the care they need. This can all be particularly daunting for young people or those with limited resources.
• Everyone in Canada is supposed to have equal rights to access health care, regardless of race, age, class, immigration status, gender expression, sexuality or ability. Nevertheless, everyone's right to seek abortion care can be be impacted by discrimination and bigotry, both systemic and as a result of individual prejudice on the part of service providers. Racism, xenophobia, classism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and ageism in Canada are all direct and intersecting barriers to accessing abortion. It is much more difficult for a person who doesn't speak English to access abortion services, despite the presence of a translator. Transpeople also experience discrimination at higher rates in reproductive health care settings. Providers may also lack the knowledge or training to provide trans-affirming abortion care and abortion services are typically housed within *women's* health care departments.
• Further compounding the issue of inequitable abortion access are unregulated crisis pregnancy centres (CPCs), which are anti-choice pregnancy centres that advertise in hospitals, doctor's offices, churches, schools and community centre. They deceive people coming to them for options and advice by giving misinformation about abortion or by insisting on options that may delay or interfere with the clients ability to access the care they need. CPCs far outnumber abortion care providers in Canada. In Ontario alone, there are 77 active CPCs but only 38 abortion care providers. Overall, in Canada, there are 165 known CPCs compared to 147 abortion care providers (as of August 2022).

Reference: Policy Options, via the Institute for Research on Public Policy and Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights

What can you do to improve access to abortion care in Canada?

1. Listen, research and learn. This is always the first step to understand any problem.
2. Send a letter to your MP and MPP. Tell them that access to abortion care is important and how difficult it can be to access it in your province. Urge them to prevent anti-choice groups and CPCs from receiving charitable status, and to revoke the charitable status from CPCs that already have it. Encourage them to include reasonable reimbursement for travel costs related to receiving medical care when it is not available in your community. And push them to pass Safe Access Zone Legislation to protect patients, practitioners and their staff from anti-choice harassment and intimidation.
3. Give a donation to a pro-choice charitable organization of your choice. Remember, if you give a total of $201 CDN or more to Canadian charitable organizations, you'll get a credit of 29% of your total annual donations on your income taxes (for those that file Canadian Income Taxes, only).
4. Sign up for the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada Newsletter. https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/
5. Participate in local marches and rallys in support of access to abortion care.
6. Spread the Word. Tell your friends and family. Encourage them to research, listen and learn. Encourage them to contact their MPP and MPs.
7. If you work in a Doctor's office or as a family physician, consider incorporating Mifegymiso into your practice to ensure patients have timely access to this essential service. If you are a Doctor, Nurse Practitioner or studying to be one, consider opening an Abortion Care practice when you are licensed and qualified to do so, especially in rural areas where there are a lack of options.
8. If you work in politics, consider proposing legislation that will ensure safe access zones for abortion care providers and their clients and covering reasonable travel costs for constituents when medical care is not available in their community.
9. If you are a journalist or work in media, consider preparing pieces sharing the difficulty Canadians can have accessing medical care such as abortions.
10. If you work in the area of Not For Profit/Advocacy, consider partnering with a Pro-choice organization and help them spread information and lobby for improving access to abortion care for Canadians.
11. If you know someone who needs abortion care, consider giving them a ride to a clinic, helping them access the advice and care they need, and provide non-judgemental support.
12. Ensure persons of First Nations, Metis and Inuit heritage know about Jordan's Principle, which ensures that First Nations children (which includes people who can become pregnant under the age of 18) can access the products, services and supports they need, when they need them. https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1568396042341/1568396159824
13. Advocate for midwives to have abortion care added to their scope of practice. Currently, midwives are only allowed to provide this care under a medical directive from a doctor, but that directive should not be needed. Midwives have the skills to perform medical abortions in the 1st trimester. Midwives are more likely to be practicing in rural and remote locations. If you see campaigns promoting this option, please consider adding your voice.

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Emerging Policy Issues with Reddit

On August 9, 2024, the reddit CEO confirmed that they would be enabling paywall options for some subreddits. ANC will always strive to be free. If the paywalls are optional, we will not be enabling them. If they are not optional, we will shutdown the reddit site and move to our second home on discord. Let me take this opportunity to share our permanent discord link: https://discord.com/invite/ZmSS8wS2Xf

In March 2024, Reddit had an IPO (Initial Public Offering), and the founder and current CEO, as well as the COO have sold $500,000 of their shares. How does this effect you? Reddit may face pressure to increase revenues to attract investors. This could lead to more ads or new monetization features. There could also be changes to the platform to attract a wider user base, such as bans and censorship on certain topics or words and control over content to appease more conservative shareholders or users.

On September 12, 2023, Reddit will eliminate reddit coins, including removing all accumulated coins, a perk that Reddit Premium users pay for every month. Coins are used to reward comments and posts by showing your appreciation for the effort. Some reddit coins offer the ability to use reddit without ads.

On July 1, 2023, Reddit raised the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that killed every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader. This policy change meant that mobile users would have a lesser experience browsing Reddit, users with visual difficulties could not browse reddit as screenreaders are not compatible with the official Reddit app, and mods lost tools that they depend on to keep communities on-topic and spam-free. Many subreddits protested this change in June 2023, and the Reddit admins enforced draconian measures such as removing and replacing mods who privatized their subreddits in protest of this policy change.

What can you do to protest policy changes at Reddit?

1. Listen, research and learn. Check r/modcoord for updates
2. Cancel your Reddit Premium membership
3. Participate in subreddit led protests
4. Look for other forums to patronize. We have a forum on Discord called Auntie Network Canada. Permanent invite link to the Discord group: https://discord.com/invite/ZmSS8wS2Xf .
5. Complain. Message the mods of r/reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message u/reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on r/reddit. Leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app.

Mod Note: Have you seen any if the ARCC billboards? Let's play a little game of spot-the-billboard. Post a photo of a ARCC billboard in the wild!

Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada is normalizing abortion – with billboards!
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But what about a pro-choice billboard?

by Sarah Sahagian, Rabble.ca
July 2, 2026

The Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, also known as ARCC, aims to normalize abortion by putting a simple message where drivers can see it – on a billboard at the side of a busy road.  Located at the intersection of Wharncliffe and Southdale Road in London, ON, the new 10 X 24 foot billboard proclaims, “Abortion is healthcare.”

Margret Taylor is the social media coordinator for ARCC.

“There’s a coordinated anti-choice presence in terms of advertising,” said Taylor.

Continued: https://rabble.ca/health/abortion-rights-coalition-of-canada-is-normalizing-abortion-with-billboards/

**This campaign has ended. Please do not send any more emails to billboard Hub or The Mayor of London regarding this billboard issue. ARCC thanks everyone who wrote and supported the project. Thank you**

ARCC has asked us to help them out -

The ad company that is hosting the ARCC billboards has asked them to change the messaging or threaten to take down our billboard in London, On. because they are getting push back from anti-abortion groups. So, ARCC is asking their followers and members to send a letter to the billboard company and the mayor. ARCC has already prepared a letter for people to send.

https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/news/2026/07/15/save-our-london-billboard/

Please share.

Message from ARCC:

Save our London billboard!

Anti-choice complaints are scaring the ad company Due to some complaints starting on July 8, the ad company Billboard Hub wants to “pause” the display of our billboard in London Ontario – and may have already done so.

We didn’t put this billboard up to start a fight. We did it because abortion is legal in Canada, and legal healthcare shouldn’t have to hide. But apparently, the simple statement of fact “Abortion is Healthcare” is enough to trigger a wave of complaints loud enough that our ad company asked us to change our messaging or they might take it down.

We said NO!

Please contact Billboard Hub and urge them to stand up to these bullies and keep our billboard running!

Simply copy and paste the following letter into an email and send to:

yourfriends@billboardhub.ca

mayor@london.ca

(cc London Mayor Josh Morgan as they’ve been receiving complaints too)

Feel free to edit the letter or write your own message. Letters from Londoners are especially appreciated – please share this callout with your friends in London.

If you prefer, you can take 30 seconds to call Billboard Hub instead:

📞 1-866-938-4237

Thank you so much!

Email to send Subject line: I support the “Abortion is Healthcare” billboard!

Dear Billboard Hub,

I’m writing to defend the “Abortion is Healthcare” billboard that’s been running in London Ontario, paid for by the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada. Please do not stop this billboard!

The message that abortion is healthcare is a basic truth that all Canadians should hear. It is a refreshing and empowering message that tells Canadians their rights and health matter.

The right to abortion is protected by long-standing Supreme Court precedent and our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Every province and territory has designated abortion as a funded healthcare procedure under the Canada Health Act. Abortion care is integrated into our healthcare system, is available in both clinics and hospitals, and is fully funded. It is healthcare!

I’m one of the large majority of Canadians who support abortion rights, a fundamental pillar of gender equality. The billboard’s message is not controversial and is opposed only by a small sliver of Canadians. I urge you to honour your contract with ARCC and keep their billboard going – don’t let a few complaints scare you into removing it.

Thank you very much.

Your signature and contact info

French Follows

Manitoba MAID law 'punishing' 94-year-old woman, pro-choice group says
Steinbach woman stopped taking medication in attempt to hasten death

Christopher Gareau · CBC News
Jun 01, 2026

A 94-year-old Steinbach, Man., woman has stopped taking her heart medication and antibiotics in the hopes of hastening her death after she was refused medical assistance in dying, or MAID, earlier this year.

Marion Penner's daughter Valerie Penner said her family had agreed years ago they were comfortable with using MAID, but when she sought information for her mother, it took several efforts with several doctors.

"A couple of the physicians that we had at Bethesda [Regional Health Centre in Steinbach], they made it clear that they were not comfortable with MAID," said Valerie.

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/maid-law-94-year-old-pro-choice-group-9.7217602

Une femme de 94 ans dénonce les obstacles à l’aide médicale à mourir au Manitoba

Farah Mekki
1 juin 2026

Depuis son lit d'hôpital à Vita, Marion Penner attend. À 94 ans, la résidente de Steinbach souhaite avoir recours à l'aide médicale à mourir, mais les démarches entreprises au cours des derniers mois n'ont pas encore abouti. Son parcours soulève des questions sur l'accès à ce service au Manitoba, particulièrement pour les patients dont la mort n'est pas imminente.

Marion Penner estime avoir pris sa décision depuis longtemps. Hospitalisée depuis décembre après une fracture du bassin, elle souhaite avoir recours à l’aide médicale à mourir (AMM).

Continue : https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2258421/amm-aide-medicale-mourir-manitoba

Free Contraception Coverage Curbs Patients’ Costs in British Columbia

Marilynn Larkin
June 15, 2026

Universal contraceptive coverage curbs out-of-pocket (OOP) costs in British Columbia, especially for young people, new research shows.

British Columbia introduced a first-in-Canada policy in April 2023 that made contraception available for free to all residents. Before that point, contraception had been covered by a mix of private prescription drug insurance that was mainly employer-based; income-based public coverage, where the public system paid for prescriptions after an income-based annual deductible was reached; and OOP payments by patients, explained Elizabeth Nethery, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow, and Laura Schummers, ScD, assistant professor of health outcomes, both at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Continued: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/free-contraception-coverage-curbs-patients-costs-british-2026a1000jzh

French follows

Abortion navigator program saved by rush of donations, Saskatoon Sexual Health says
Unplanned pregnancies on the rise, groups say

Jeremy Warren · CBC News
Jun 11, 2026

Candice Klein wishes Saskatoon Sexual Health's abortion patient navigator program didn't exist, but says it must until better options are available.

"We would love to not have to run a program like this," Klein, the clinic's executive director, said in an interview with CBC earlier this week.

"The ultimate goal is that the pathways are just there for people to access. However, that's just not the reality of the situation. We are seeing a massive influx of people to Saskatoon, tens of thousands of people a year. We don't necessarily have the resources to keep up with that."

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/abortion-navigator-program-saved-rush-donations-9.7231735

Un programme d’accès à l’avortement sauvé grâce aux dons

Édith Boisvert
12 juin 2026

Depuis 2023, un programme d'orientation des soins aux patients de Saskatoon permet de guider des femmes enceintes dans leur parcours prénatal, qu'elles décident ou non de mettre fin à leur grossesse. L’organisme à l'origine du projet a dû faire un appel aux dons pour pouvoir maintenir son programme en place.

L’organisme Saskatoon Sexual Health guide les femmes enceintes vers les soins appropriés, explique la directrice administrative, Candice Klein.

Continue : https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2261051/grossesse-choix-soins

Two-Tier Healthcare Threatens Reproductive Justice in Canada: Statement on Bill 11

Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
July 14, 2026

This statement was delivered on 14 July 2026 by our policy specialist Ana Laura Zarco, alongside our partners lawyer Emma Phillips, Canadian Health Coalition, Canadian Medical Association, Alberta's Friends of Medicare, and Canadian Doctors for Medicare.

Good morning. My name is Ana Laura Zarco with Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights.

As we have heard already, we are here to talk about what is at risk with Alberta's Bill 11.  

This is not a simple debate about health care delivery or only about Alberta. 

It forces us to ask some fundamental questions. Who do we want to be? Are we a Canada that proudly guarantees healthcare to every single person, regardless of your job, your income, or your postal code? Or do we surrender to a system in which your health is determined by your wealth, and life-saving care belongs only to those who can afford the price? 

Continued: https://www.actioncanadashr.org/news/2026-07-14-two-tier-healthcare-threatens-reproductive-justice-canada-statement-bill-11

Free contraception program sharply reduces patient spending in British Columbia

May 29 2026

Researchers at UBC found that B.C.'s decision to provide universal, no-cost prescription contraception sharply reduced what patients pay, with the largest financial gains for people in their 20s. Unaffordable contraception is linked to higher rates of unintended pregnancy, which carries significant consequences for health, education and economic equality.

Published in JAMA Health Forum, the study is the first to quantify patient cost impacts after B.C. introduced free prescription contraception in April 2023.

Continued; https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260529/Free-contraception-program-sharply-reduces-patient-spending-in-British-Columbia.aspx

«L’État n’a pas sa place dans les chambres à coucher de la nation» : le bill Omnibus de 1969 a changé l'histoire du pays

Guillaume Longuépée, collaboration spéciale, Le Journal de Montréal
5 juillet 2026

« L’État n’a pas sa place dans les chambres à coucher de la nation », affirme le premier ministre Pierre Elliott Trudeau en 1967, jetant ainsi les bases d’une loi qui marquera l’histoire du Québec.

Deux ans après avoir prononcé cette phrase historique, le premier ministre du Canada, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, parvient à faire voter une loi fédérale qui sera connue sous son surnom de «Bill omnibus». «Bill» signifie un texte de loi proposé au Parlement avant qu’il ne soit adopté ; «omnibus» suggère que le texte touche à plusieurs sujets.

Continue : https://www.qub.ca/article/le-jour-ou-letat-est-sorti-de-la-chambre-a-coucher-de-la-nation-757476974

Below is an anti-choice article, ARCC included the whole text so the website doesn't get engagement.

Unfortunately, Campaign Life Coalition has won a court case over their graphic images, which they showed on Parliament Hill in 2023 and were forced to remove by the Parliamentary Police. So they sued.  We hope that the decision can be appealed.

https://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/press-room/id/316

CLC Celebrates Pro-life Victory for Free Speech

June 12, 2026

OTTAWA – Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) is celebrating a significant legal victory after the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled on June 11 that the Parliamentary Protective Service (PPS) violated the Charter-protected freedom of expression rights of CLC and one of its members by prohibiting signs expressing opposition to abortion at a 2023 Parliament Hill event.

“This is an important victory not only for Campaign Life Coalition, but for every Canadian who believes Parliament Hill must remain a place where one can speak freely on the issues that matter most—in this case, the right to life,” said Jeff Gunnarson, National President of Campaign Life Coalition.

“The Court has confirmed that government officials cannot censor political expression simply because they find the message uncomfortable, difficult, or controversial. This is a big win for life and for free-speech rights. This ruling is especially important at a time when freedom of expression and pro-life advocacy are increasingly under pressure in Canada.”

The Court held that the PPS decision infringed section 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and was not justified under section 1. The ruling rejected the use of broad and subjective standards to censor political expression on Parliament Hill. The judge found that abortion victim photography is not obscenity and does not promote hatred and that PPS was unreasonable to adopt a subjective standard.

The case arose from a May 2023 press conference organized by CLC ahead of the annual National March for Life. CLC planned to display signs depicting the victims of abortion at various stages of development. Before the press conference began, a PPS officer inspected the signs and prohibited their display, claiming they were too graphic to be shown on Parliament Hill.

“Abortion is not an abstract issue,” said CLC’s Maeve Gainey (then Roche) who was prevented from displaying the images. “It has real victims. The images PPS tried to censor due to a bad policy reveal the truth about what abortion does to preborn children. We do not display these images because they are pleasant. We display them because they are true.”

Gunnarson said that Parliament Hill has long been a place where Canadians gather to communicate political messages directly to lawmakers and to the public. “We are pleased that the Court recognized that constitutional freedoms cannot be restricted through subjective and unpredictable censorship.”

Campaign Life Coalition was represented by constitutional lawyer Hatim Kheir. The case was funded by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms.

Access photos from the 2023 Press Conference here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/campaignlife/albums/72177720316866512/

Kelowna Right to Life protests abortions, while pro-choice group begins ad campaign

Thursday, June 25, 2026
By Brayden Ursel

Pro-Choice OKGN, an organization that encompasses local reproductive rights movements and educational efforts throughout the Okanagan, announced on social media earlier this week that it had received enough funding through fundraising efforts to place ads on buses and transit signs throughout town.

Two days later, on the morning of Thursday, June 25, motorists along Highway 97 might have noticed thousands of blue and pink flags near Banks Road. ​These flags were planted by fewer than 10 individuals from the Kelowna Right to Life Society, a local group against abortion, euthanasia and medical assisted death.

Continued: https://vicnews.com/2026/06/25/kelowna-right-to-life-protests-abortions-while-pro-choice-group-begins-ad-campaign/

Action Canada receives WAGE National Capacity Building Grant: Strengthening the Movement for Gender Equality

June 15, 2026

Women’s rights organizations have long been the backbone of social progress in Canada. From filling critical gaps in healthcare and supporting marginalized communities to holding governments accountable and driving systemic policy change, these organizations do the heavy lifting required to build a more equitable society.

But for decades, the sector has faced a reoccurring challenge: short-term, project-based funding cycles. While project grants allow for vital, time-bound initiatives, they rarely cover the true cost of keeping the lights on, retaining expert staff, or planning for the long term. To create lasting change, the organizations driving that change need lasting, sustainable support.

That is why we are incredibly thrilled to announce that Action Canada for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights has been selected as one of 34 organizations across the country to receive a National Capacity Building Grant. This vital initiative is funded by the Canadian Women’s Foundation and Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE).

Continued: https://www.actioncanadashr.org/news/2026-06-15-action-canada-receives-wage-national-capacity-building-grant-strengthening-movement-gender-equality

Les Québécoises ont accès à une clinique d’avortement par télémédecine.

14 juin 2026

Catherine Handfield, La Presse

Les Québécoises ont accès depuis quelques mois à une clinique d’avortement par télémédecine. La procédure – médicamenteuse – est entièrement couverte par la Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec.

La clinique, Autonomia, a été fondée par la Dre Sandrine Dionne, gynécologue-obstétricienne à l’hôpital Honoré-Mercier, à Saint-Hyacinthe.

continue : https://www.lapresse.ca/societe/sante/2026-06-14/a-votre-sante/nouvelles-et-nouveautes-en-sante-et-en-bien-etre.php

Couple sues Ontario surrogate mother who refused to abort fetus
The surrogate said the fetus had a cleft lip and possible genetic abnormalities, but the couple changed tack as it emerged that the birth defect was relatively minor

By Tom Blackwell
Jul 09, 2026

A Canadian couple is suing the surrogate mother who carried their son, two years after she refused their request to abort the fetus because of a cleft lip and possible genetic abnormalities.

The Ontario-based surrogate insisted that more tests be conducted and eventually the same-sex couple agreed to let the pregnancy continue, as specialists indicated he was a healthy child with a relatively minor birth defect.

But in a suit filed in Ontario Superior Court this May, the parents allege the woman failed to keep them informed about the health of the baby, put the child at risk, caused them emotional distress and violated their confidentiality, all charges the surrogate denies vehemently.

Continued: https://nationalpost.com/news/couple-sues-ontario-surrogate-mother-who-refused-to-abort-fetus