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Canadians open their doors to Americans seeking abortions

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With the overturning of Roe v. Wade opening the door to abortion bans in the U.S., Canadian Tiktokers are Americans who are considering travelling north of the border to get an abortion.

鈥淭o my American besties: I live 20 minutes from the Michigan border,鈥 one TikTok user wrote in a video post. 鈥淚f you want to come 鈥榮ee my cows鈥 for the weekend let me know. I can give you a safe space while you recover from 鈥榮eeing my cows.鈥欌

Canadian TikTokers, using the hashtag #wegodowntogether, are offering Americans a place to stay and recover, often under the guise of an innocuous activity, like 鈥渃amping鈥 or 鈥渧isiting friends.鈥

鈥淚鈥檓 90 minutes from the U.S. border at Niagara Falls and wine country,鈥 wrote another TikToker. 鈥淢y 4 sisters and I would love to go 鈥榳ine tasting鈥 with you and spend a few days recovering. Let鈥檚 hang out. We鈥檝e got you.鈥

But what are the legal implications of Americans actually seeking the medical procedure in Canada?

Pam Hrick, general counsel for Women鈥檚 Legal Education and Action Fund, says the issues that could arise depend on the particular state Americans are coming from.

鈥淭here are no legal issues to come into the country and access that healthcare procedure,鈥 she told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Tuesday. 鈥淭here are no laws right now in the States, criminalizing crossing the borders to get an abortion somewhere where it is legal. However, that might change. So it鈥檚 going to be important for people who are seeking the procedure to check in with local abortion care providers and supports to understand what the state of law is at the time of their thinking about access.鈥

Hrick also pointed out that, although Canadian healthcare does not have legal parameters that restrict abortion procedures, access complications are still a reality for many Canadians.

鈥淩ight now here in Canada we have access issues as well. There are no laws applicable to abortion care, and it is treated as healthcare,鈥 Hrick said.

鈥淲hether or not you could actually access that healthcare in this country depends on where you live, whether you can take time off work and you have to travel in order to access an abortion, whether there are local providers in your community. So it really isn鈥檛 equitable across the country, and we need to take urgent action to address that,鈥 she added.

Carolyn Egan, with the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, said Americans seeking abortion would need to pay for the procedures themselves, which would not affect Canada鈥檚 healthcare system.

鈥淲e have situations now where the clinics in Toronto do offer abortions, mostly for people who might be internationals. They pay directly to the clinic. So it鈥檚 not an expense to [Canada鈥檚] healthcare system. If any women chooses to come here from the United States, they would not be accessing hospital abortions. They would be going to the free-standing clinics,鈥 she explained

Despite the viral trend on TikTok, Egan says the number of Americans coming to Canada for the procedure is 鈥渇airly low.鈥

鈥淔or the most part, Americans do not have passports. There are usually going to be more vulnerable women from low-income communities, Black and Hispanic communities, and the understanding that we have is that they will be given access to procedures in another state,鈥 she said.

鈥淐ertainly Canadians are happy to welcome them if they do come,鈥 Egan added.

 

This story has been updated to correct that there are no laws right now in the states criminalizing cross the borders to get an abortion somewhere it is legal. 

 

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Have you tried accessing abortion services in Canada?

Following the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, CTVNews.ca wants to hear from Canadians who have had an abortion.

Did you struggle to access abortion services or information in Canada? Was it difficult to secure an appointment?

Tell us your story by emailing dotcom@bellmedia.ca, and include your name and location. Your comments may be used in a CTVNews.ca story.

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