Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights congratulates Yukon for becoming the first territory to offer universal coverage of the abortion pill Mifegymiso. Yukon now joins the majority of provinces working to improve access to this medically necessary service, especially in rural and remote areas.
Mifegymiso, the Canadian name-brand for the combination of Mifepristone and Misoprostol, is the World Health Organization’s gold standard for medical abortion and has been on its list of essential drugs for over a decade. The combination has been used for over 30 years with an outstanding safety and efficacy record and is available in over 60 countries around the world.
Too many people in Canada still experience major barriers when needing to access abortion services. By covering Mifegymiso, the Government of Yukon is addressing and mitigating these ongoing barriers. It will be crucial that health care providers such as family physicians, nurse practitioners and midwives take on the practice of prescribing Mifegymiso to ensure access to reproductive healthcare for residents of Yukon.
Action Canada is looking forward to seeing improvements to access to abortion in Yukon. We now expect that all remaining provincial and territorial governments who have yet to commit to cover Mifegymiso will do so soon. This is a question of avoiding a two-tiered system of abortion access in Canada. We need universal cost coverage across all provinces and territories.