A New Brunswick building where abortions were conducted for 30 years will do them no longer, to the lament of a clinic director and the celebration of pro-life advocates.Clinic 554, located on 554 Brunswick Street in Fredericton announced its immediate closure January 31. The building housed the Mortgentaler clinic from 1994 to 2014. The clinic rebooted under its current name in 2015, but only ran one day per week in recent years.In a press conference outside the New Brunswick legislature, Dr. Adrian Edgar, the clinic's medical director cited the financial strains from providing the procedure free of charge and a rent increase at Brunswick Street building that houses the clinic."Because Clinic 554 never turned a patient away, regardless of their financial, citizenship or Medicare status and now, without reliable access to an affordable and suitable space to provide this level of care, we can no longer continue to do so," Edgar said.Surgical abortions in New Brunswick are paid for by Medicare at the two hospitals in Moncton and at Chaleur Hospital in Bathurst. The normal fee for an abortion at Clinic 554 was $700."We are most concerned about patients for whom travel or a medication abortion is not an option due to financial reasons, mental health or addictions reasons, disability, age, financial or housing precarity, legal status or freedom of movement and personal security," Edgar said.Edgar threatened to close the clinic in 2019 due to its lack of taxpayer funding. Ottawa even threatened to withhold health-care transfer payments if New Brunswick did not fund private abortion clinics.Sean Hatchard, a spokesperson for New Brunswick's department of health told CBC surgical abortions were becoming less necessary due to the abortion pill Mifegymiso. Hatchard said it now results in two-thirds of all abortions in New Brunswick.Representatives of Campaign Life Coalition celebrated the facility's closure.“This is great news for preborn babies and their moms in New Brunswick,” said CLC National President Jeff Gunnarson.In 2019, Campaign Life Coalition launched a campaign that successfully encouraged the New Brunswick government to stand firm against pressures to fund private abortion facilities.Last year, the CLC launched a campaign encouraging the province’s Premier Blaine Higgs to refuse to fund Clinic 554 despite a lawsuit from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association that sought to force the province to fund the centre.CLC Atlantic coordinator Ruth Robert welcomed the news of the closure of Clinic 554, saying, “Hundreds of babies’ lives will be saved from death,” she said.Robert recalled how during the 40 Days for Life campaign last fall, pro-life volunteers prayed and fasted in front of the centre for its closure.“Local pro-life advocates hoped this campaign would be the final push to shut the clinic down for good. Campaign leader and former CLC intern, Sarah Grace, was worried that there would not be enough pro-life people to run the around-the-clock campaign. She then heard God speak to her in her heart: ‘Go in the strength you have,'" Robert recalled in a CLC press release."She pressed forward, despite there being insufficient numbers of people to run the campaign. Some of the amazing volunteers drove for over four hours and would stay for hours praying. It’s because of people like Sarah Grace that this abortion mill is now closed. God has truly blessed the sacrifices of His devoted faithful. It all begins with one person stepping out in faith and saying ‘Yes’ to God.”New Brunswick Liberal Opposition Leader Susan Holt called the clinic closure "extremely unfortunate" and also vowed she would extend medicare funding to such facilities if her party won the fall election. New Brunswick Green Party Leader David Coon made a similar promise to the CBC.The clinic's website acknowledged its "abortion care" was ending but pointed readers to an FAQ page with information about abortion access and resources. The clinic's phone line will be open until February 29 to provide information.The clinic said its model was "Patient-driven care centred upon caring, inclusiveness and respect" with a vision to "provide the best health care possible in a safe, anti-oppressive environment, with the utmost expertise and standards of care."
A New Brunswick building where abortions were conducted for 30 years will do them no longer, to the lament of a clinic director and the celebration of pro-life advocates.Clinic 554, located on 554 Brunswick Street in Fredericton announced its immediate closure January 31. The building housed the Mortgentaler clinic from 1994 to 2014. The clinic rebooted under its current name in 2015, but only ran one day per week in recent years.In a press conference outside the New Brunswick legislature, Dr. Adrian Edgar, the clinic's medical director cited the financial strains from providing the procedure free of charge and a rent increase at Brunswick Street building that houses the clinic."Because Clinic 554 never turned a patient away, regardless of their financial, citizenship or Medicare status and now, without reliable access to an affordable and suitable space to provide this level of care, we can no longer continue to do so," Edgar said.Surgical abortions in New Brunswick are paid for by Medicare at the two hospitals in Moncton and at Chaleur Hospital in Bathurst. The normal fee for an abortion at Clinic 554 was $700."We are most concerned about patients for whom travel or a medication abortion is not an option due to financial reasons, mental health or addictions reasons, disability, age, financial or housing precarity, legal status or freedom of movement and personal security," Edgar said.Edgar threatened to close the clinic in 2019 due to its lack of taxpayer funding. Ottawa even threatened to withhold health-care transfer payments if New Brunswick did not fund private abortion clinics.Sean Hatchard, a spokesperson for New Brunswick's department of health told CBC surgical abortions were becoming less necessary due to the abortion pill Mifegymiso. Hatchard said it now results in two-thirds of all abortions in New Brunswick.Representatives of Campaign Life Coalition celebrated the facility's closure.“This is great news for preborn babies and their moms in New Brunswick,” said CLC National President Jeff Gunnarson.In 2019, Campaign Life Coalition launched a campaign that successfully encouraged the New Brunswick government to stand firm against pressures to fund private abortion facilities.Last year, the CLC launched a campaign encouraging the province’s Premier Blaine Higgs to refuse to fund Clinic 554 despite a lawsuit from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association that sought to force the province to fund the centre.CLC Atlantic coordinator Ruth Robert welcomed the news of the closure of Clinic 554, saying, “Hundreds of babies’ lives will be saved from death,” she said.Robert recalled how during the 40 Days for Life campaign last fall, pro-life volunteers prayed and fasted in front of the centre for its closure.“Local pro-life advocates hoped this campaign would be the final push to shut the clinic down for good. Campaign leader and former CLC intern, Sarah Grace, was worried that there would not be enough pro-life people to run the around-the-clock campaign. She then heard God speak to her in her heart: ‘Go in the strength you have,'" Robert recalled in a CLC press release."She pressed forward, despite there being insufficient numbers of people to run the campaign. Some of the amazing volunteers drove for over four hours and would stay for hours praying. It’s because of people like Sarah Grace that this abortion mill is now closed. God has truly blessed the sacrifices of His devoted faithful. It all begins with one person stepping out in faith and saying ‘Yes’ to God.”New Brunswick Liberal Opposition Leader Susan Holt called the clinic closure "extremely unfortunate" and also vowed she would extend medicare funding to such facilities if her party won the fall election. New Brunswick Green Party Leader David Coon made a similar promise to the CBC.The clinic's website acknowledged its "abortion care" was ending but pointed readers to an FAQ page with information about abortion access and resources. The clinic's phone line will be open until February 29 to provide information.The clinic said its model was "Patient-driven care centred upon caring, inclusiveness and respect" with a vision to "provide the best health care possible in a safe, anti-oppressive environment, with the utmost expertise and standards of care."
