Advocates push for free contraception in next B.C. budget
A B.C. advocacy group says it's going to push the government to fulfil a promise to cover the cost of prescription contraception, and for it to be included in the next provincial budget.
The B.C. NDP promised to make prescription contraception free for all as part of its 2020 campaign, in what would be a first for a provincial government.
The promise was made again in Health Minister Adrian Dix's original 2020 mandate letter, and is repeated in a new mandate released this week.
Teale Phelps Bondaroff, chair of the Access B.C. campaign, says covering contraception was approved at an NDP convention in 2017, and the BC Liberals and Greens have also endorsed some form of the idea.
He says the question now is when the policy will be implemented, and Access B.C. will campaign for it to be covered in the next budget.
A study conducted in 2010 estimates that paying for prescription contraception would save the B.C. government about $95 million a year through reductions in abortions, prenatal visits and social supports.
Phelps Bondaroff said it was promising to see free prescription contraception in the minister's mandate letter again.
“[We're] gonna be pushing really hard in the intervening weeks and months before the budget comes out to ensure that this item is in this budget, as opposed to being kicked down the road.”
The organization is fundraising to put up billboards near Eby's and Dix's offices urging action.
“The cost has been identified as a major barrier preventing people from accessing prescription contraception in across Canada,” he said.
“And not only that, but what other research has indicated is that when cost is removed as a barrier, people reach for more reliable forms of contraception.”
In 2020, the NDP promoted the promise as being about fairness.
While condoms could be easily found for little or no cost, and vasectomies were covered under the medical services plan, prescription contraception was not covered, the party said at the time.
Free oral contraceptive pills were estimated to save someone as much as $10,000 over their lifetime, or $260 per year, while the lifetime savings for someone using an intrauterine device could be upwards of $3,000.
Phelps Bondaroff said it was important that the promise to cover costs also came with improvements to access.
“(If you're) in a small town in the middle of in the north, like 100 Mile House, just because contraception is free, doesn't mean you don't also struggle to access it for other reasons,” he said.
“So I think the government is on the right path, with maybe taking their time to make sure they settle those kinks out, but we need to get rolling on this.”
Dix's office did not immediately provide to a response to questions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.