“Every mother a willing mother, every child a wanted child.” - Dr. Henry Morgentaler

 

For 20 years, the Fredericton Morgentaler Clinic was a source of comfort and relief for women choosing to terminate an unplanned pregnancy. It also endured twenty years of controversy and legal battles as Dr. Morgentaler fought for women to have their abortions funded through Medicare.

 

From day one, the NB government ignored the historic 1988 Supreme Court decision that gave women in Canada the right to safe and legal abortions funded by Medicare. Instead, it quickly mobilized plans to block the establishment of a free-standing abortion clinic by creating a restrictive regulation in the Medical Services Payment Act, that required two doctors certifying that Medicare would only cover abortions performed in a hospital setting by a specialist in the field of Gynaecology or Obstetrics, and was certified ‘medically necessary’ by two doctors. The practical consequence of this Regulation is that unlike in any other Canadian province with stand-alone abortion clinics, abortions provided at the Morgentaler Clinic in Fredericton would not be funded by Medicare. 

 

Dr. Morgentaler was no stranger to threats and unnecessary laws, and never one to shy away from controversy. The government’s actions only served to strengthen his resolve to ensure that New Brunswick women received the care they were entitled to under the Canada Health Act and the 1988 Supreme Court decision.

 

The Early Days

The first Morgentaler Clinic was located in a house on the North side of Fredericton. When the property sold, Dr. Morgentaler built the modern clinic located at 554 Brunswick Street in Fredericton. Opposition continued and women arriving for an appointment were met by a small but vocal group who oppose abortion, mostly on religious grounds. The atmosphere they created was one of blame and shame. So it’s not surprising that no New Brunswick doctor was willing to work at the clinic. This did not deter Dr. Morgentaler. His solution was to fly doctors in from Montreal regardless of the extra cost. Almost a decade after the clinic first opened, a doctor relocating to New Brunswick was willing to ignore the protestors and work at the clinic on a regular basis. 

 

It should be recognized that for many years doctors performing hospital abortions were also subjected to harassment by hospital staff opposed to abortion as well as protestors outside their private homes. That they continued providing abortions in spite of this is to be commended.

 

In June 2000, opposition increased when an anti-choice group purchased the house next door to the Brunswick Street Clinic. With great fanfare they announced the opening of the “Mother and Child Welcome House”. The sole purpose of this group was to prevent women from having abortions. Their tactics are familiar to abortion providers everywhere. Women arriving for an appointment faceh a barrage of signs whose message was that by having an abortion they were killing a baby. Again, a message of blame and shame.

 

To counter this, a professor at the University of New Brunswick with previous escort experience at a clinic in the U.S., quickly organized a team of volunteers who would escort women safely into the clinic. Over the years there was never any shortage of women and men willing to be a friendly face for women coming to the clinic whether it was minus twenty degrees or plus thirty. Once inside, patients were relieved to be greeted by friendly professional staff and an atmosphere of non-judgmental compassion. 

 

It was a shock in 2005 when the Moncton hospital announced it would no longer provide abortions. It was an even bigger shock in 2006 when the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton followed suit, leaving women with no access to publically funded abortions anywhere in N.B. It would be a few months before the government announced that The Bathurst Hospital and The George Dumont Hospital in Moncton would again begin providing abortions. However, the problems of access and the hurdles women had to overcome remained.

 

The restrictions around hospital access have serious implications for women with no doctor or an anti-choice doctor who won’t make referrals. Even if they get past that barrier, wait times may put them past the hospital’s limit. A hospital appointment requires two visits posing additional problems for women who must arrange for child care, transportation, and possibly stay overnight if they are travelling from far away. An appointment at the Morgentaler Clinic required only one phone call and one appointment.

 

How the Clinic Worked

While anti-choice protestors diligently kept up their activities outside the clinic, their efforts were futile. Regardless of the need to pay for this medical procedure, the clinic was often a woman’s preferred choice; they could make their appointment without the need for a doctor’s referral. Abortions were performed up to 16 weeks, with a wait time that was seldom longer than two weeks and usually within one week. Women who were over the 16-week clinic limit were assisted by clinic staff to make an appointment at one of the clinics in Quebec or Ontario, where abortions are possible up to 20 weeks.

 

Between 600 and 700 patients visited the Morgentaler Clinic annually. Approximately ten percent of those patients came from PEI where there are no abortion facilities. 

 

The clinic was staffed by compassionate, non-judgmental professionals who did everything possible to make women feel comfortable about their decision. An ultrasound confirmed the gestation period and that it was a normal pregnancy not requiring hospital surgery, i.e., an ectopic pregnancy. The clinic counsellor addressed the patient’s questions and other options if they were unsure about terminating their pregnancy. Patients left with clear aftercare instructions and access to a 24-hour help line if they had any concerns or questions. They were always treated with respect and dignity. 

 

Dr. Morgentaler died in May 2013. He spent his life fighting for women to have the right to control their own bodies and to decide when they are ready to take on the responsibility of raising a child. He believed that all women, regardless of their circumstances, should be treated with dignity and respect. As you can see by the comments from former patients, that tradition continues today. His motto “Every mother a willing mother, every child a wanted child” lives on.