Sask. advocates, Opposition call for free birth control

Advocates and the Opposition in Saskatchewan want the province to follow British Columbia's lead and make birth control free.

Starting April 1, B.C. will become the first jurisdiction in Canada to make prescription contraception free to all residents.

Coverage includes the costs of oral hormone pills, contraceptive injections, hormonal and copper intrauterine devices, subdermal implants, and Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill.

In Saskatchewan people, currently pay for contraceptives based on their coverage, copayments and deductibles.

"At this time there are no plans to change the coverage or listing status for contraceptive products included on the Saskatchewan formulary," a Ministry of Health spokesperson wrote to CBC News in an emailed statement on Wednesday.

The spokesperson added that programs are currently available to ensure cost is not a barrier for treatment for those with low income or high drug costs.

On Thursday, Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP applauded B.C.'s move and said many forms of birth control are prohibitively costly.

"It is a huge barrier for people in our province— especially women— to be able to have reproductive choice and reproductive justice," NDP MLA Jennifer Bowes told reporters on Thursday.

Advocates push for free birth control

Caitlin Cottrell, the executive director of the Saskatoon Sexual Health Centre, said she was hopeful that Saskatchewan would follow British Columbia's lead when it comes to birth control coverage.

"Unplanned pregnancies can have financial repercussions, career repercussions, education repercussions, and becoming a parent is a big deal," Cottrell told CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning guest host Theresa Kliem on Thursday morning.

 "A lot of people aren't necessarily able to access contraception because of the cost." 

Cottrell says oral hormone pills can cost anywhere from $20 to $50 monthly. She added that the upfront costs of intrauterine devices can be $400 for three to five years of protection, and injectables usually cost between $100 and $150 every three months.

Teaghan Munro, who lives in Prince Albert, remembers sometimes struggling with the cost of birth control while at the University of Saskatchewan and Sask Polytech. She was using birth control pills to help with pain management stemming from her endometriosis disease.

"When you're a student and money's tight, that extra $30 every month adds up really quick," Munro said. "It became something where it was like, I'm going to pay for my birth control or get extra veggies at the grocery store."

Munro considers herself lucky that the cost of birth control has never been a major financial burden, but said pregnancy would be.

"For me right now an unexpected pregnancy would put me in a very difficult place financially, " Munro said.

"You can get condoms for free in many different places, why is women's access different?"

Robin Hilton, sexual health outreach co-ordinator at the University of Regina Student Union, said the province doesn't make reproductive health care very accessible.

She pointed at residents who live in northern Saskatchewan and have to travel to Saskatoon or Regina to get a surgical abortion.

"There's all these additional costs and strains for folks who end up with an unintended pregnancy that maybe just being able to easily access birth control could solve."