A law professor at the University of New Brunswick says it's almost impossible for women in the province to receive a medicare-funded abortion under current legislation, and that could be easily changed.
 
Jula Hughes, who participated in the Silent No More: Speak Out For Choice panel discussion at UNB Fredericton Wednesday evening, said the process New Brunswick women must go through to get an abortion takes too long.

Hughes said New Brunswick women's access to abortion is the second-worst in Canada, after P.E.I., where the provincial government funds no abortions and no facility in the province performs the procedure.

Right now, the New Brunswick government doesn't pay for abortions past the 12th week of pregnancy. Hughes said meeting the criteria to qualify, and then getting an appointment, usually takes several weeks.

In the best-case scenario, a woman waits about two weeks to see her family doctor, Hughes said. If the doctor is "pro-choice," Hughes said, the doctor will certify in writing that an abortion is necessary.

Abortion is the only medical procedure in New Brunswick that requires a second opinion before it can be performed, she said.

In some cases, the gynecologist who performs the abortion will serve as the second doctor to certify that it is necessary, but that requires a second appointment and another two- to three-week wait, Hughes said.

Because there are only two doctors in the province who perform abortions, women who get the two approvals wait another four to six weeks for the actual operation, said Hughes, who noted a lot of women don't discover their unwanted pregnancies until around the sixth week.

Hughes said changes could easily be made to a provincial regulation to reduce wait times for women.

"Specifically, we need to get rid of the schedule that makes abortions non-funded except in those very limited circumstances," she said, referring to Schedule 2(a.1) of Regulation 84-20 of the Medical Services Payment Act.

The two-doctor certification and the limitation on where government-funded abortions can be performed are stipulated in the schedule.
 
Hughes said the changes to the act could be made through caucus, without going through the legislature.

"It could be done by next Thursday, if the politicians were so inclined."