“Our policy on abortion is one the government and executive council stand behind.  We don’t plan to change it.”

…..Health Minister Alan Buchanan

Charlottetown, PEI – On April 22, Henry Morgentaler launched a lawsuit to force the Province of Prince Edward Island to pay all associated costs for women obtaining abortions at his clinics outside of the province.

Alan Buchanan, PEI’s Liberal Health Minister is on record as saying, “Our policy on abortion is one the government and executive council stand behind.  We don’t plan to change it.”

Since 1986, when Island hospitals stopped performing abortions, women seeking the procedure have gone out of province.  The government’s practice is to pay for those deemed “medically necessary” by the provincial Health Services Commission.  They have paid for 11 in the past two years.

Morgentaler accuses the province of using the “misery and suffering” of its own women to save more than $5 million in the past 10 years.  Although he paints this as an outrageous injustice, and continually speaks of his great compassion for women, his major concern seems to be that he has to pay the doctors at his clinics himself.

“We have to charge PEI women more ($400 compared to $300).  If the government paid, we could reduce that fee,” he says.

He will use the unverifiable claim that, each year, up to 500 Island women travel to Halifax, Montreal or New England for abortions.  Although these centres are popular destinations for shopping excursions, holidays, concerts and sports events, and are only a few hours drive away, Morgentaler claims that “adding in the travel and accommodation cost could be $1500.”

In this province, the Health Services Commission decides which medical procedures will be paid for.  Where the medical need is not clear-cut, the decisions come down to judgment calls.

“This process is not valid.  The policy was never enacted, never vetted by cabinet, never debated in the legislature.  It should be put into legislation so women will know what they are entitled to,” Morgentaler claims.

Lawyer Daphne Dumont of PEI will work on the case with Ann Derrick of Halifax.  Hinting at the approach to be used, she told CBC, “It is appropriate to take things one step at a time.  The first step is to get the existing policy moved to the level of law.”

A June hearing in provincial Supreme Court is expected.