New Brunswick Health Minister Reponds

Though New Brunswick Health Minister Brad Green has announced that two doctors will provide abortions after the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital suspends their abortion services on June 30, the province can still do more to improve access.

Read NAF's release.

Read the local coverage.

Access issues in Canada

The Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton, New Brunswick, the only hospital that regularly performs abortions in the province, has announced that they will be suspending their abortion services at the end of June. Unless swift action is taken, New Brunswick women will have to overcome tremendous burdens in order to access the abortion care they need.

Today, NAF sent a letter to the New Brunswick Minister of Health expressing concern over the lack of access and funding for abortion in New Brunswick.

Read here for more information about how NAF is addressing important access issues in Canada.

NAF Launches Canadian Program

On Tuesday at a press conference in Ottawa, Canada, NAF launched our Canadian Policy and Outreach Program. Read more about our Canadian program in our press release.

Marcy Bloom, the director of Aradia Women’s Health in Seattle, talks about faith, values, and abortion as a moral choice. Read the Seattle Times interview.

An Iowa man attacked a clinic worker outside the Emma Goldman clinic Wednesday. The woman wasn’t harmed and the man is now in police custody.

The Edmonton Journal reports that women in Canada must often wait an unreasonable amount of time before receiving an abortion.

In Memory of Lawrence Lader

Lawrence Lader, a long time pro-choice advocate, died last Sunday in Manhattan. The New York Times commemorates Lader’s contributions to the pro-choice movement.

The Chicago Tribune has a follow-up report on a new campaign to encourage women to get an advance prescription for emergency contraception.

ACOG Urges Women to Buy EC Before They Need It

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists urged women to get an advanced prescription for emergency contraception as part of a new public education campaign. Read the Associated Press article.

NPR has an interview with the president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, who has vowed to open an abortion clinic on the reservation.

The New York Times Magazine reports on anti-choice efforts to reduce access to contraception.

New Developments in Pharmacist Refusals

A pharmacist in Seattle refused to fill a prescription for antibiotics because it was called in by Cedar River Clinic, a local abortion provider. Read Seattle Times columnist Nicole Broder’s take on this disturbing development in pharmacy refusals.

Kansas state attorney general Phill Kline has spent several years attempting to procure confidential patient records from two comprehensive reproductive health care clinics. A debate has started in the state over whether the court proceedings should be open to the public. Read the Kansas City Star article.

The South Dakota-based Argus Leader reports that pro-choice activists have gathered approximately 10,000 of the 17,000 petition signatures they need to place the abortion ban on the November ballot.

Unintended Pregnancies On The Rise for Low-Income Women

The Washington Post reports on a rise in unintended pregnancies for low-income women.

In her column, Margaret Kimberly encourages the African American community to embrace pro-choice goals and ideals.

A New York Times article explores the recent decline in contraceptive use among women.

Thursday News Roundup

The LA Times reports on how the FDA is grappling with political pressure after its controversial decision to withhold judgment on over the counter use of emergency contraception.

According to a new study, more teens in Alberta Canada are learning about contraception and reproductive health from their parents than in other provinces.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on a website that provides counseling for men whose partners have chosen to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers, Parental Consent, and the FACE Act in the News

Salon.com has an article examining the deceptive practices of crisis pregnancy centers.

A new parental consent law took effect in Utah yesterday. The Salt Lake City Tribune reports on how doctors and judges are struggling to comply with the confusing legislation.

The Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from anti-abortion extremists seeking to reduce the damages they owe to the abortion providers they terrorized. The protestors, who put abortion providers’ faces on “wanted” posters, were convicted of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinics Entrances (FACE) Act.

We're Back from Vacation With Your News Update

Dr. Lester Crawford, who headed the FDA when the agency made its controversial decision to withhold a decision on making emergency contraception available over the counter, is facing a criminal inquiry about making false statements to Congress.

Emily Lyons, a nurse who was injured when anti-choice extremist Eric Rudolf bombed her facility, has still not received compensation for her injuries. Read the Washington Post story.

Gambia’s National Assembly Members ratified a woman’s rights protocol last Tuesday. Among other things, the protocol would allow women to have abortions in cases of rape and incest. Currently, Gambia’s strict abortion laws only have a limited life exception.

Anti-choice advocates in Minnesota are trying to stop public funding of abortion services. Read the Associated Press article.

The Louisiana abortion ban passed the state Senate last Wednesday. The bill would ban almost all abortions in the state, except in circumstances where a woman’s life is threatened.