'Watching rights erode away': U.S. woman moving to B.C. over abortion rights
A Virginia woman is packing up her life and moving her family to Vancouver Island in response to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
Jo Kreyling says she's moving to Nanaimo, B.C., because she and her husband want a better life for their young child.
"People were kind of watching rights erode away," Kreyling told CTV News on Thursday.
One of those rights includes the right to choose an abortion.
"People in a situation where they may have a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy were having the decisions regarding their pregnancies made by people who medically didn’t even understand those concepts," she said.
While abortion is currently legal in Virginia, Kreyling says she's still concerned about the future and the fragmented range of laws in the U.S.
"Just by crossing state lines, will I be able to get medical assistance? Will I be able to get help if my pregnancy goes wrong?" she said. "It feels dangerous to start trying to have a family."
Abortion-rights protesters fill Indiana Statehouse corridors and cheer outside legislative chambers, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, as lawmakers vote to concur on a near-total abortion ban, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Arleigh Rodgers)
Kreyling, a video game developer, hopes to move to Nanaimo by the spring. She says she understands that moving to Canada is a privilege.
"The thought of a life in Canada has given me more hope than I’ve had all pandemic," she said.
'ALREADY A STRESSED SYSTEM'
Meanwhile, in Nanaimo, a local nurse who works at a clinic that offers abortion services says she expects to see more U.S. residents coming to Canada for help.
"We’re going to see a lot of people crossing a lot of borders to seek abortion care," said Kassidy Delcaro, a nurse at Women's Vita Medical Clinic.
"It’s already a stressed system and it’s already difficult for somebody, even locally, to find abortion care," she said.
Kreyling hopes American abortion rights are re-instated so that others won't have to take such a drastic measure going forward.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.