Canada will ensure border officers know Americans can travel for abortion: Mendicino – Nationwide

Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino says he will be speaking with the Canada Border Companies Agency to verify its staff know Americans searching for abortions can come to Canada for care.

Talking with reporters on Wednesday, Mendicino said people within the U.S. could also be feeling doubt about whether or not they are going to be able to access abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, as a leaked draft ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court docket recommended earlier this week is imminent.

NEW: Minister @marcomendicino says he’s talking with @CanBorder to ensure there are clear guidelines so People who might not be able to entry an abortion can come to Canada to do so. Says means to take action isn’t in query but he wants to make sure issues are clear. pic.twitter.com/qEqVQuUKJT

— Abigail Bimman (@AbigailBimman) May 4, 2022

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Mendicino stated the flexibility of People to come back to Canada for abortions just isn't in query, however he desires to ensure that position is clear to these engaged on the frontlines on the border.

“I’ve engaged CBSA, my office is at present working with them to verify there are clear pointers so that women who may not be capable of access healthcare including abortions are in a position to come to Canada,” he mentioned.

“If some ladies wish to come to Canada to access those procedures, I've given them the directive to welcome them,” he added in French.

Mendicino billed the move as a “measure of warning” within the event Roe v. Wade is overturned and described the hope as being to “eliminate any ambiguity” that border officers could have as as to whether someone travelling to Canada for an abortion is eligible to enter the nation.

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What's unclear at this time is whether any data on those individuals would be shared with American regulation enforcement or state officials seeking to prosecute folks for travelling for an abortion, as some consultants have suggested may very well be subsequent if Roe v. Wade falls.

Canada and the U.S. have extensive cross-border data sharing agreements designed to make it easier to flag individuals who could pose a threat to national safety, or who're violating immigration guidelines.

Alexander Cohen, director of communications for Mendicino’s office, said the government does not share normal info relating to the aim of travel for People coming to Canada, “and that would come with those who come to Canada for reproductive health purposes.”

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In the context of abortion rights, jurisdictions that provide access to those outdoors their borders are also known as “protected havens.”

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States like California have vowed to enshrine abortion access extra strongly in their legal guidelines in the wake of the leaked U.S. Supreme Court docket draft ruling on Roe v. Wade, while experts are also raising the possibility that for Americans near the Canadian border, this country could turn out to be their nearest safe haven.

Learn more: Roe v. Wade draft ruling puts U.S. abortion rights in crosshairs. Right here’s what to know

“I feel the big challenges for Canadians are going to be ongoing access to abortion if Canada turns into a protected haven of People,” said Dr. Dustin Costescu, an affiliate professor at McMaster College in addition to a household planning and sexual well being specialist.

Costescu mentioned all the information accessible proper now suggests there will stay abortion access in plenty of states alongside the Jap Seaboard if Roe v. Wade falls, together with New York.

That may imply Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes might not see a “important” stage of spillover.

“Michigan, then again, becomes a little bit of a sizzling spot when it comes to whether or not abortion is accessible. As we transfer westward into the U.S. Midwest, that’s where we see pockets of states that may fall when Roe v Wade falls,” he added.

“Geographically, this is considered ‘frontier country.’ These are massive distances. But when individuals have to decide on to go hundreds of kilometers south or north [to access abortion], they may come up north.”

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Read more: How abortion entry differs across U.S. — and the way overturning Roe v. Wade may change it

Autumn Reinhardt-Simpson is the founder of the Alberta Abortion Access Community, and works as what’s generally known as an abortion doula. That means her job is helping people who need abortions access them.

The help she and different abortion doulas offer contains assist arranging journey, pickup and drop-off at sexual health clinics or abortion clinics, assist arranging lodging if a person has to go away their house community to get the abortion, assist accessing correct data, as well as emotional support.

She advised World News on Tuesday that assets in many components of her province are already stretched.

“Entry in Alberta is best than some locations, however still not great,” she said. “We still have a hard time getting people in rural areas into the cities for his or her appointments, especially as a result of there are so few doctors which are yet prescribing abortion medication.”

Reinhardt-Simpson stated an inflow of people coming north may add to those challenges.

“We’re not really outfitted for dealing with Albertans who want abortion care. We cannot even present complete health companies for women or trans and non-binary folks in our personal province,” she mentioned.

“So for positive, if folks did come up right here in large numbers, there can be a very large drawback.”

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