Windsor, Ont., MPP worries Canada's health-care system can't accommodate U.S. women seeking abortion services

A Windsor, Ont., MPP says she's worried about the region's ability to accommodate women who might cross the border to get abortions, following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last month to allow states to restrict access to the procedure.

Windsor West NDP MPP Lisa Gretzky said she was disappointed by the news, and wonders whether Canada's health system can handle American women who might travel here for care. 

"As we see women in the [United States] losing the ability to access that health care, they will come here looking for access to health care," Gretzky said. 

"And with a health-care system that is already struggling ... there is a very real concern that the decision in the states and women coming to Canada to seek treatment will further add a barrier to women in Canada and in Ontario and in Windsor being able to access the health-care services that they need in a timely manner."

Gretzky said health care in Ontario is especially stretched thin with the loss of nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals and increasing wait times for treatments. 

She said she'd like to see health-care professionals approach the Ministry of Health about issues with accessing health care.

"I think that the ministry needs to really listen to the people of the province and the elected representatives from the various regions who have been sounding the alarm bell for years, but especially now, around those barriers that exist, and make the investments necessary in order to break down those barriers so that women can access health care in a safe and timely manner," said Gretzky. 

In an email to CBC News, Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care did not directly answer questions about whether the province plans to help U.S. citizens who want to access to abortion services on this side of the border. 

"Unfortunately, we have no new information at this time," a spokesperson for the ministry wrote. 

For now, abortion remains legal in the state of Michigan, sharing its border with Ontario, but that could change.

Advocates in the state say that if abortion became illegal, crossing the border into a city like Windsor to access the procedure would not be easy, especially for marginalized women. 

Windsor-Tecumseh Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk is weighing in on calls for barriers to be removed for U.S. women who may want to come across the border to get an abortion.

"From a federal perspective, what we can look at is, again: How can we make crossing the border easier? And obviously, there are barriers for many Americans that would want to cross over, not least of which is access to passports, for example," he said.  

"We know that also, obviously, health care is a provincial jurisdiction, but I think this is a situation where both the federal and provincial governments need to sort of talk to each other."

Meanwhile, Gretzky said the province has work to do to improve access to care for Canadian women. 

"Women already face systemic barriers to health care, to access health care, so we need to be talking about what is happening on our side of the border as well, ensuring that we continue to push forward, to bring forward legislation, and having those conversation for women to have timely access to safe health care."