Canadian official says country ‘would work to provide’ access to abortion pill if banned in US

by Nick Robertson - 04/22/23 1:05 PM ET

FILE - Boxes of the drug mifepristone sit on a shelf at the West Alabama Women's Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on March 16, 2022. The Supreme Court is deciding whether women will face restrictions in getting a drug used in the most common method of abortion in the United States, while a lawsuit continues. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed, File) — FILE – Boxes of the drug mifepristone sit on a shelf at the West Alabama Women’s Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on March 16, 2022. The Supreme Court is deciding whether women will face restrictions in getting a drug used in the most common method of abortion in the United States, while a lawsuit continues. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed, File)

The Canadian government “would work to provide” access to medical abortion drugs if it is banned in the U.S., an official said in a television interview Thursday.

Families Minister Karina Gould said Canada would assist Americans in getting access to abortion medication in line with its national laws if American law were to change.

“What concerns me … is where you see laws in states where they’re actually criminalizing women (who) cross state borders to access reproductive health care,” Gould said.

“And so, you know, we need to be very thoughtful about how we do this to make sure that we don’t further endanger, you know, American women who are seeking access to reproductive health care and services, as well as health-care providers,” she added.

On Friday, the Supreme Court paused a federal judge’s order to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone. The 5th Circuit Court is currently considering a case to prevent access to the drug after a Texas judge ruled that it should not be allowed.

Reproductive rights advocates say the original ruling, and questions over the drug’s legality, are actually more damaging to people who live in states where abortion is already legal.

“This judicial ping-pong game is impacting the accessibility of a safe, effective, decades-long approved medication and is causing chaos and confusion,” Carrie Flaxman, senior director, public policy litigation & law at Planned Parenthood, said during a recent briefing.

The battle over mifepristone is the latest in a series of efforts to reduce access to reproductive care, including abortions. The Supreme Court overturned the landmark case allowing abortions nationwide, Roe v. Wade, last summer.

Since that ruling, over a dozen states have made abortions illegal, while others have reacted by enshrining the right to abortion to access into their states’ laws or constitutions.