OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 27, 2025 /CNW/ - Following today's announcement of an agreement reached between the Government of Canada and the Government of Manitoba, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, President, Dr. Lynn Murphy-Kaulbeck and Past-President, Dr. Amanda Black made the following statement:
"The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) is pleased to see the first agreement reached between the federal government and a province or territory finalized.
As a direct result of this agreement, Manitobans will be the first citizens in Canada to have access to free prescription contraceptives through the federal pharmacare program.
Additionally, the SOGC is pleased to see Manitoba announce it will also provide free public coverage of hormone replacement therapy.
For women in this country, it represents a generational shift across Canada in terms of access and the future of women's health care at large. Access to contraception is not only a matter of reproductive rights but also a fundamental aspect of public health and equity.
Contraception allows women to plan their lives, their families and their pregnancies. They are more likely to finish school, participate more fully in the workforce, enjoy more economic stability and have healthy pregnancies when they do choose to have children. Simply put, access to contraceptives helps a woman take control of her own future.
As the national voice of women's health, the SOGC has long advocated for free access to contraception, and we are encouraged by today's announcement and urge all provinces and territories to rapidly work with the federal government to put in place their own respective agreements ahead of any federal general election.
Through the finalization of these agreements, Canada as a nation is making it clear to women that sexual and reproductive health rights are nonnegotiable. Canada has a leadership role to play at home as well as abroad, serving as a beacon for women's sexual and reproductive rights.
When the federal government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of British Columbia, the SOGC celebrated. We do so again today with this first agreement being signed."
SOURCE The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada
Media Inquiries: Kelsey MacDonald, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, [email protected], 613-730-4192 x 228
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