Closure of Elizabeth Bagshaw Clinic means we must act to guarantee future abortion access in BC

VANCOUVER – The permanent closure of the Elizabeth Bagshaw Clinic on June 30 is a very sad event for everyone who supports excellent abortion care. This clinic opened in 1990, shortly after abortion was decriminalized in Canada. The closure was first announced by the clinic on March 28, which explained it was due to financial and operational barriers.

“We are so grateful for the Bagshaw clinic’s many years of service and the dedication of its staff to their patients and the community,” said Joyce Arthur, Executive Director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC). “The closure is devastating, given the clinic’s long and proud history. Many staff had been with the clinic since the very start and they are fiercely loyal to the clinic and the clientele they served. The clinic relied on a feminist model to deliver compassionate and high-quality healthcare to women and gender diverse people, including abortion, contraception, and many other services. ”

The clinic was aptly named after Dr. Elizabeth Bagshaw, one of Canada’s first woman physicians and the medical director of Canada’s first birth control clinic in Hamilton. She practiced from 1906 to 1976, retiring at the age of 95.

The Elizabeth Bagshaw Clinic was operating in an aging facility, as are the two remaining clinics in Vancouver, the Everywoman’s Health Centre and the Willow Clinic. All three clinics had been in discussions with Vancouver Coastal Health to amalgamate into one new, modern clinic to streamline services and improve patient care, resulting in significant cost savings. This would allow resources to go directly to patient care, thereby aligning with the BC Premier’s directive to improve efficiencies for public health system sustainability.

For example, an amalgamation would enable improvements like centralized booking for services, a wider range of reproductive and gynecological services, reduced duplication such as just one accreditation process and one administration (instead of three), increased training opportunities for new providers, and more robust security to ensure provider and patient safety from anti-choice harassment.

“In light of what’s been happening south of the border, the BC government’s plans to ensure future access are welcome and much needed,” said Arthur. “Today more than ever, access to abortion must be safeguarded and expanded because it is fundamental to human rights, equity, and social justice.”

“We’re excited to contemplate a new, fully-funded, state-of-the-art facility in Vancouver for abortion and reproductive health care. But just as essential is planning for the needs of remote and underserved communities. For too long, people have been forced to travel to Vancouver or Victoria to obtain abortions that should be available in their own community,” said Arthur.

The Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada urges the government to require every publicly-funded hospital in BC, including religious ones, to provide medication abortion up to 9 weeks and aspiration abortion up to 14 weeks. Further, procedural abortion care after 14 weeks should be available in at least one hospital in every region. This requires sustainable funding and improvements across the board to ensure continued access that will meet the needs of every population, especially the most marginalized.

“We want a future where everyone who needs an abortion can get one,” said Arthur. “While the closure of the Bagshaw clinic is painful, let’s focus on working together to support improved access for all in the future.”

Contact: Joyce Arthur, Executive Director, Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada
joyce@arcc-cdacc.ca; 604-351-0867

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