Nunavut

Snapshot

50
% urban points of service |
50
% rural points of service*
People living in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut can also access abortion through the Northern Options for Women program.
Urban refers to census metropolitan areas and agglomerations (CMAs and CAs). Rural refers to areas outside of CMAs and CAs.
57
% urban points of service |
43
% rural points of service
45
% urban population |
55
% rural population*
Urban refers to census metropolitan areas and agglomerations (CMAs and CAs). Rural refers to areas outside of CMAs and CAs.
1 point of service per 9100 women of reproductive age
*
Women, aged 15-49 (reproductive age as defined by the WHO). Based on the 2021 Canadian census. Not all people who can get pregnant are women, but the data available only includes two gender categories.
Link
0
unregulated pregnancy centre(s)*
Unregulated pregnancy centres (UPCs) are anti-abortion organizations that present themselves as clinics or counselling centres. Also often referred to as “Crisis Pregnancy Centres (CPCs)” or “fake clinics”. Data from the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada.
Link

Access Overview

1
publicly listed point(s) of service*
Data on the points of service are based on Action Canada’s directory. These numbers are up to date, but not always complete as they do not include all primary care providers who prescribe medication abortion and the landscape of abortion access can change quickly.
Link
1
point(s) of service for medication abortion*
No known point of service offers medication abortion via telemedicine.
Link
1
Link
point(s) of service for medication abortion
1
point(s) of service for procedural abortion
Functional gestational limit of
17 weeks and 6 days
Functional gestational limit of
17 weeks and 6 days
*
Abortion may be available up to 17 weeks + 6 days depending on provider availability.
No centralized system to assist the public in connecting with abortion services
Information about abortion is available on a
provincial/territorial website
Information about abortion is not available on the provincial/territorial website

Medication abortion

Cost coverage

Mifegymiso is covered for anyone with identification at the Qikiqtani General Hospital. An estimated 86% of Nunavut residents are eligible for coverage as land claim beneficiaries through the Non Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) federal program, which includes Mifegymiso on its drug benefits list.

Billing code

Billing codes are used by physicians to bill provincial/territorial health insurance plans for the different services that they provide. When there isn’t a billing code for medical abortion, physicians can be de-incentivized from providing it.

There is no billing code for medical abortion in Nunavut.

Telemedicine

Telemedicine abortion has been found to be as safe and effective as medical abortions provided at clinics. Because telemedicine abortion allows patients to access care in their homes and often requires just one trip to a pharmacy or clinic, expanding its availability is critical to improving abortion access for people who live in rural communities, who can’t take time off work to go to appointments, or who are at risk of stigma or discrimination.

Nunavut has an established telehealth network that currently allows patients to see providers at facilities in Nunavut, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, and Northwest Ontario.

The Northwest Territories Registered Nurses Association (NWTRNA) allows registered nurse practitioners in Alberta under certain employers to apply to practice telemedicine in Nunavut.

Legislation, policies, and regulations

Access to abortion for minors

No legislation exists in Nunavut dictating age of consent to medical treatment. As such, the mature minor doctrine applies to minors accessing health care, including abortion. This means that a minor who can understand and appreciate the nature, purpose, and reasonably foreseeable consequences of a proposed medical treatment and its alternatives/refusal can give valid legal consent.

Bubble zone legislation

Bubble zone legislation aims to prevent anti-abortion protestors from harassing people within the vicinity of a facility that provides abortion care. Even though criminalizing individual people will not effectively curb the larger anti-abortion movement, these laws can be effective in deterring anti-choice protestors from harassing providers and patients entering and exiting abortion clinics.

There is no bubble zone legislation in Nunavut. However, federal Bill C-3, which makes it illegal to intimidate healthcare workers and patients or obstruct them from providing care or seeking treatment at locations where healthcare services—including abortions—are delivered, applies.

Belief-based care denial

Although abortion is an essential medical service, physicians and nurse practitioners can refuse to provide abortion care due to their personal beliefs under current legislation and policies set by regulatory bodies. This practice is often referred to as “conscientious objection,” although a more accurate term may be “belief-based care denial.”

Physicians

Nunavut physicians follow the Canadian Medical Association’s Code of Ethics and Professionalism, which does not require physicians to provide or refer for a service they object to based on personal beliefs. This means that a physician may deny a patient abortion care, and is not obligated to provide them a referral to another provider or clinic.

Nurse practitioners

The Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut adopts the Canadian Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses, which states that in cases of conscientious objection, nurses are obligated to notify their employers or the patient receiving care in advance so that alternative arrangements can be made.

Out-of-country medical policy

In some instances, patients may have to travel outside of the country to receive abortion care currently not available in Canada. Nunavut’s Department of Health has a Medical Travel Policy that provides medical travel benefits to eligible patients covered by the Nunavut Health Care Plan who must travel in order to access necessary health services not available in their home communities.

A licensed Nunavut practitioner who is licensed to deliver health services in Nunavut (including nurses, physicians, and midwives) must initiate a referral in order for the patient to be eligible for coverage. Financial resources required under the Medical Travel Policy are conditional on approval by the Legislative Assembly and on the availability of funds in the appropriate budget.

Travel support

Subject to any co-payment set by the Minister of Health, medical travel benefits under the Medical Travel Policy include coverage for transportation expenses as outlined in the Financial Administration Manual.

Eligible transportation costs include economy airfare, charter aircraft when reasonable, ground transportation from one approved centre to another, medevac in the case of emergency or specialized care, and travel to get a patient to the nearest approved centre on the land if the patient becomes seriously ill or badly injured.

A client escort is eligible for transportation benefits if they meet the eligibility criteria set out by the policy and if recommended by a Nunavut practitioner. A medical escort is eligible for travel, as well as accommodation and meals at Government of Nunavut rates at approved commercial accommodation in accordance with the Financial Administration Manual, if one is deemed necessary by a Nunavut practitioner.

A patient and their client escort must sign a Client Travel Agreement that outlines their responsibilities prior to receiving travel arrangements.

court cases on abortion

No cases found.

References

¹ https://nihb-ssna.express-scripts.ca/en/0205140506092019/16/160407

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