In response to the leaked draft by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito that would overturn Roe v. Wade, a Canadian minister has broadcast that pro-abortion individuals will be allowed access to cross the border into Canada to get an abortion.
Karina Gould, minister of families, children, and social development, made the comment during her appearance on CBC News Network’s Power & Politics. The host of the show, Vassy Kapelos, asked Gould if American women would be allowed access to this procedure in Canada.
Gould replied by saying:
“I don’t see why we would not. If they, people, come here and need access, certainly, you know, that’s a service that would be provided.”
Additional clarification was offered by a spokesperson for Gould after the appearance, stating that if American citizens chose to cross the border into Canada to gain access to the healthcare services, they would still have to pay either out-of-pocket or with their own insurance, if not covered by a Canadian provincial health plan.
That being said, while this is possible in theory, it is much more challenging to put forth in a real world scenario due to distance from an abortion provider in addition to pandemic precautions at Canada’s international border, not to mention the financial expense of traveling alone.
Gould also seemed concerned about what the possible overturning decision would spell out for Canadians who would otherwise attempt to travel within the U.S. for an abortion.
“One of the concerning factors here is that there are many Canadian women who maybe don’t live near a major city in Canada, but will often access these services in the United States. I’m very concerned about the leak yesterday. I’m very concerned about what this means, particularly for American women, but also for Canadian women.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared his support for protecting abortion after news of the draft.
“The right to choose is a woman’s right and a woman’s right alone. Every woman in Canada has a right to a safe and legal abortion. We’ll never back down from protecting and promoting women’s rights in Canada and around the world.”
More details from the Daily Wire report:
The comments come as the Supreme Court seems poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, which effectively legalized abortion in the United States. Since Roe, over 60 million unborn babies have been aborted.
Even with Roe overturned, about one-fourth of all abortions would still be legal alone with just New York and California. This reality has led to speculation that many women will go to one of these states to have the procedure done.
A growing number of companies, including Amazon, Citigroup, Yelp, and now Levi Strauss, have also announced they will pay for abortion-related travel.
A statement from Levi Strauss said it was essential to protect “reproductive rights.”
“Given what is at stake, business leaders need to make their voices heard and act to protect the health and well-being of our employees. That means protecting reproductive rights,” the clothing company said.
The announcement from Levi Strauss comes just after Amazon made its announcement on Monday. Terry Schilling, President of the American Principles Project, told The Daily Wire that conservatives should reconsider doing business with Amazon.
“Conservatives by now should be thinking twice before doing business with Amazon, and at the very least, Republican leaders should stop providing any special benefits to a company that is clearly working against the interests of American families,” he said.
