P.E.I.'s new health centre to offer range of reproductive services

A Nova Scotia doctor who was part of a failed 2013 proposal to offer abortion services on P.E.I. says it was "pure delight" to hear about the province's plans to open a women's reproductive centre by the end of the year.

"I'm so pleased to see that P.E.I. has taken a situation where they were really delivering the lowest level of care … and have turned it around to a really innovative solution to address women's health care needs," said Dr. Robyn MacQuarrie, an obstetrician/gynecologist based in Amherst, N.S.

"They've taken a really forward-thinking approach in that they're planning on offering both surgical and medical abortion … but then also addressing other pressing women's health issues like post-partum depression, just really taking a problem and saying, 'We're not doing this right,' flipping it on its head and saying, 'We're going to do this the best way possible.'"

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MacQuarrie was one of three doctors who had offered to be part of a twice-monthly abortion clinic to be set up on P.E.I. Health PEI struck a working group to consider the proposal in 2013, but government told the health authority to drop the project.

On Thursday, the province announced it was moving to offer abortion services on the Island for the first time in nearly 35 years.

The abortions will be performed at a new reproductive health centre, which the province says will offer more than just abortion services.

Health Minister Robert Henderson said government wants the health authority to consider a number of services for inclusion, including:

• Surgical abortions, which Island women currently travel to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to receive.
• Medical (prescription) abortions.
• Pre- and post-abortion care and counselling.
• Pre- and post-natal care.
• Services for women suffering from post-partum depression.
• Advance and follow-up treatment to allow in-vitro fertilization, though the actual process itself would remain on the mainland.

"As an MLA I was getting a number of comments on the lack of reproductive services in the province," said Health and Wellness Minister Robert Henderson.

"This is an opportunity now to encapsulate all of those concepts into a women's health reproductive centre."

Government has asked that the new centre be located in one of the Island's hospitals. Henderson explained that's partly for reasons of privacy, so it's not easy to single out women who may be visiting the centre to have an abortion.

There have already been calls on social media for demonstrations to be held at the new centre once it's in use.

Government wants the new centre to be open by the end of 2016.

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