Health minister walks back claim about abortion access in hospitals [Video]

Last week, Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange played down concerns that transferring the operation of some hospitals to Covenant Health would negatively impact reproductive health care – but the minister’s claim about abortion access is contradicted by provincial policy and data.

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On Sept. 3, in her first media appearance since plans to move underperforming Alberta hospitals to third-party operators were revealed, LaGrange told Corus radio host Shaye Ganam, “There is no anticipated change to access to women’s reproductive health.”

The Catholic health authority Covenant Health does not provide things like in-vitro fertilization and abortion.

When Ganam pointed out that swapping AHS for Covenant would necessarily create changes to women’s health care, LaGrange dismissed the idea: “Actually, there won’t be (a change). Because right now no hospital in Alberta performs elective abortions.”

However, elective abortions are …