Saskatchewan

Snapshot

50%
urban points of service |
50%
rural points of service*
Patients in Nova Scotia can be referred to the provincial self-referral line operated by Reproductive Options and Services (ROSE) Clinic.
57%
urban points of service |
43%
rural points of service
68
% urban population |
32
% rural population*
Urban refers to census metropolitan areas and agglomerations (CMAs and CAs). Rural refers to areas outside of CMAs and CAs.
7 known points of service per 248,410 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
5
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

7
publicly listed point of service offering both medication and procedural abortion*
publicly listed points 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
6
point(s) of service for medication abortion
2
point(s) of service for procedural abortion
Functional gestational limit of
19 weeks and 6 days
Functional gestational limit of
19 weeks and 6 days
*
2 points of service offer abortion after 12 weeks. Of these, only 1 offers abortion up to 19 weeks and 6 days.
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 fully covered for Saskatchewan residents with a valid health card.

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.

Saskatchewan's Physician Payment Schedule includes a billing code for medical abortion.

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.

Saskatchewan has billing codes for telemedicine in the Physicians’ Payment Schedule. Telemedicine abortion is offered by Saskatoon Sexual Health and Regina Women's Health (occasionally).

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan outlines expectations for physicians who provide virtual care to Saskatchewan patients in their Policy on Virtual Care. The College offers virtual care licenses to physicians who only practice medicine in Saskatchewan by virtual care at no or reduced cost.

More information about virtual care in Saskatchewan can be found on eHealth Saskatchewan.

Legislation, policies, and regulations

Access to abortion for minors

The Health Care Directives and Substitute Health Care Decision Makers Act states that anyone 16 years of age or older who has the capacity to make a health care decision may make a directive. The act doesn’t provide guidance on medical decision-making by minors under the age of 16, which means the mature minor doctrine would apply.¹ 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 Saskatchewan. 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

The Saskatchewan College of Physicians and Surgeons’ Guideline: Unplanned Pregnancy states that “any physician who is unable to be involved in the further care and management of any patient when termination of the pregnancy might be contemplated should inform the patient and follow the requirements of the College’s policy on Conscientious Objection,” which directs physicians to provide patients with full and balanced health information required to make legally valid, informed choices about medical treatment. The wording of the Unplanned Pregnancy Guideline and Conscientious Objection Policy suggests that an effective referral from the objecting physician is not required, since providing information to the patient is offered as an option.²

The Unplanned Pregnancy Guideline indicates that the physician will fully inform the patient of the options they may pursue and provide them with accurate information relating to community agencies and services that may be of assistance. It further indicates that the physician should inform the patient of the availability of abortion services in the province, or elsewhere, in accordance with any current law or regulation governing such services, and should ensure that the patient has the information needed to access such services or make the necessary referral. According to the guideline, the patient should be provided the information regarding the nature of termination options, to the best of the physician’s ability.

Saskatchewan’s Conscientious Objection Policy states that objecting physicians must “make an arrangement” for the patient to receive information or care from another physician. It also states that the physician must continue to provide care to the patient until the new provider assumes care of the patient. The wording of the policy enables the physician to avoid referring the patient for further care. Further, the requirement to give “full and balanced health information” is subjective, in that the physician may give inaccurate or incomplete information to the patient.³

Nurse practitioners

The College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan has Practice Standards for Nurse Practitioners that utilizes the principles in the Canadian Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses for professional judgement and practice decisions. The Code of Ethics obligates nurses to notify their employers or the patient receiving care in advance so that alternative arrangements can be made in cases of conscientious objection.

Further, the College released a resource called Ending the Nurse Practitioner-Client Relationship in 2023 that states it is not appropriate to end the nurse practitioner-patient relationship if the patient requests access to a service or seeks treatment the Nurse Practitioner has a conscientious objection to.

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.

Saskatchewan’s Health Benefits Coverage includes out-of-country coverage for patients referred for insured health services not available in Canada, as outlined in The Saskatchewan Medical Care Insurance Act.

A specialist must seek prior approval from the Medical Services Branch of Saskatchewan Health in order for a patient to be eligible for coverage. If approved, coverage includes the full cost of treatment at a rate that the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health considers “fair and reasonable” after taking into account the location where the insured service is provided.

Travel support

The costs of travel, accommodation and meals to access medical services are not covered under Saskatchewan’s health system.

court cases on abortion

Borowski v. Canada (SK, 1984/1987/1989)

1983 SKQB 2157

Joseph Borowski, an anti-choice activist, filed a constitutional challenge against the Criminal Code’s therapeutic abortion provisions. He argued that the provisions violated fetuses’ ss. 7 and 15 Charter rights.

The trial and appellate courts both held that fetuses did not have rights under ss. 7 and 15. By the time the case had made it to the Supreme Court of Canada, the abortion provisions in question had been struck down. As a result, the primary issues before the Supreme Court were whether the appeal was moot and whether Mr. Borowski still had standing.

In 1989, the Court held that the appeal was moot, and that Mr. Borowski no longer had standing to pursue the appeal. It declined to hear the appeal.

References

¹ Department of Justice Canada. (2023, February 2). Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Children’s Participatory Rights in Canada. Department of Justice. https://justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/other-autre/article12/p3a.html

² Canadian Policies and Laws on “Conscientious Objection” in Health Care. (2023b, August). Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada. https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/media/position-papers/95-appendix-policies-conscientious-objection-healthcare.pdf

³ Ibid

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