Canadian MP fights for full contraceptive funding

The London MP who helped win the fight against taxing tampons is gearing up for another fight for full birth control coverage.The federal government got a lot of headline attention when it removed the GST on female hygiene products after 12 years of pushing by the NDP.

 

 

London-Fanshawe NDP MP Irene Mathyssen is now asking for the federal liberals to cover the full cost of prescribed contraceptives. Countries such as Australia, England and other European states already provide free contraceptives.

 

“A lot of the costs of family planning and prevention of pregnancy falls on women,” Mathyssen said. “Again, we’re right back at it being an unfair, sex-based, gender-based process in terms of how government works.”

 

Contraceptives that are prescribed including: female condoms, hormonal and non-hormonal intrauterine devices or IUDS, vaginal diaphragms, oral tablets and injections can be expensive. Subsidised contraceptive pills can cost around $7 whereas an nIUD can cost $400 or more. 

 

Through OHIP, most contraceptives are partially subsidised, university and college plans for students - a federal health  program for immigrants and unemployed women

Mathyssen said that the estimate cost of providing full contraceptive coverage is extremely difficult the calculate due to the difficulties in determining how much Canadian Women spend annually on contraceptives and those who dont for financial reasons but would do if provided for free.

 

Mathyssen said she couldn’t estimate the cost of providing full contraceptive coverage because it’s difficult to determine how much Canadian women spend annually.

 

This push comes at the same time as federal and provincial governments are cutting back on health spending. Other services are also jockeying for funding, including dental coverage.

Shaya Dhinsa, manager at the Middlesex, Canada, sexual health unit, stated that paying for birth control is often a struggle for many women.

Just last year, 4,000 women contacted the unit for sexual and reproductive health guidance.The unit also provided 28,000 low-cost contraceptives, including 500 doses of emergency contraception in 2015.The majority of these women did not have private health insurance. She claimed that providing free contraceptive care would be more cost effective offset by fewer unwanted pregnancies.

 

In 2011, the number of women requesting low-cost contraception increased at the unit after the cost of contraceptives was increased across the province.As a result, at least 36 clinics have since demanded uniform pricing for contraceptives, which resulted in two-year contracts which made contraceptives more accessible.

 

The motion set by Mathyssen is due to be debated in the House of Commons next summer.