New Brunswick: A Province Stuck in Time

An Oral History of Abortion Clinic Managers from 1992 to the Present [July 2014]
By Kathleen D. King 

 

Abstract: While overall abortion access has increased across Canada since the decriminalization of abortion in 1988, New Brunswick does not fit within this mainstream national narrative. Since 1994, when the Fredericton Morgentaler Clinic was founded, access to abortion has remained limited in New Brunswick. This paper examines the lives of three abortion clinic managers from the founding of the clinic to the present using oral history interviews. Although there have been several attempts by the pro-choice community to change access in New Brunswick, from the perspective of the clinic managers, New Brunswick has failed to progress due to conservative backlash from the media, politicians, and the medical community. 

 

Author’s note: While this paper looks specifically at New Brunswick, it is important to note that Prince Edward Island residents have faced similar struggles. Island residents as well as New Brunswickians relied on the clinic resources to get a safe and accessible abortion. 

 

Author’s Bio: Kathleen D. King is a graduate student from the History Honours Program at St. Thomas University (BA 14).  This research was part of her undergraduate seminar in oral history. Instead of using traditional written sources, oral history uses interviews taken from a life history perspective to look at how the interviewee interprets their life events related to the research topic.