Why must Canadian uterus owners have to experience difficulties in receiving proper birth control treatment and access? 

Even though, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), Canada’s healthcare system is ranked high in international surveys, it doesn’t alleviate the fact that many Canadian uterus owners barely have any access to affordable and proper birth control and abortions services.

In 1968, the International Conference on Human Rights officially declared that access to contraception is a universal human right. Moreover, financial, legal, and cultural barriers to easy access to birth control and other contraceptive measures are considered an infringement of human rights. Unfortunately, the statistics say otherwise. 

While Australia, Great Britain, and ten other European Union countries provide universal coverage for oral contraceptives, Canada does not. As well, according to a 2013 report by Ibis Reproductive Health, most women throughout the world can use contraceptive pills without a prescription.

In Canada, this becomes even more difficult for women in rural areas, where doctors may not be available or may not know their patients personally. According to a 2015 report by Healthcare Policy, contraceptives are misused in Canada, and one in every three women opts for an abortion.

The reality is that affordable contraceptives are not accessible and available to many uterus owners, in particular those living in poverty and/or in remote areas. Due to the unavailability of some contraceptive products and the lack of clinics or hospitals providing medical abortion services, patients tend to travel long distances for their contraceptive needs, to more urban areas. However, there is a way to improve the current situation of uterus owners; it starts with providing government-funded transportation to folks (and a support person) in secluded communities who are in need of travel allowances into areas that offer adequate birth control and abortion services.

Today, you can stand with Reya Health and make a difference in the life of someone with a period. Today, you can sign this petition and start making a change for the betterment of our country.