Moncton hospital stops abortions

Moncton Hospital has announced that as of Dec. 31, it will no longer do non-emergency abortions. It will continue to do abortions deemed medically necessary by a patient's family doctor and a specialist.

Dr. Ian Mitton, the Health Authority's chief of staff, said, "Scheduling approximately 700 abortions causes hospital administrative problems, because about half of the women don't show up for their procedure." The cancellation rate for other surgeries is only one per cent.

At Moncton Hospital, the overall waiting list for surgical cases is about 2,900. "Some surgeons have waiting lists of up to two years," Mitton said. "Meanwhile, scheduled operating time goes unused." A reduction of nearly 700 bookings a year will shorten the wait for anxious patients in line for life-giving procedures.

Dr. David Kogon, head of gynecology and obstetrics, explained that 75 per cent of the women arriving at Moncton Hospital were referred from outside the hospital's catchment area. Often they arrived too late in pregnancy, without sufficient counselling to give informed consent and with no plan in place for post-abortion care.

His doctors are also concerned about the number of "repeats" (same woman, several abortions), and believe that quality service for abortion patients should include a full clinic with psychologists, nurses, counsellors and clergy to help patients come to terms with the decisions they face.

Kogon said the doctors are no longer willing to provide abortion on demand and that Moncton is "moving toward the Saint John Hospital model," which uses much stricter guidelines.

Peter Ryan, executive director of New Brunswick Right to Life, told The Interim, "If they do adopt that model with its strict guidelines, we anticipate an overall reduction in the number of abortions." Last year, Moncton did 351 abortions, while Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton did 204 and Saint John Hospital 24.

Mary Lou Stirling, executive director for the N.B. Advisory Council on the Status of Women, said, "The decision seriously harms many women's quality of life. It limits, if not wipes out, access to abortion for women in a significant portion of the province."

But a spokesman said the Department of Health and Wellness does not plan to block the doctors' decision. "Under the law, the physicians can determine who they see as patients."

Don Richardson, the department's communications director, said, "There are other facilities in New Brunswick that provide abortion services if people can't find them in Moncton." In fact, women in the Moncton area can still obtain tax-paid hospital abortions in Saint John (90 minutes away) and Fredericton (two hours away).

They also have access to $500 procedures at Henry Morgentaler's private abortuary in Fredericton.

Henry Morgentaler calls the government's attitude toward women and abortion rights "sexist, male chauvinist and oppressive." On Oct. 23, he launched a lawsuit to force the province to pay for abortions at his facility.

"Something significant is happening," said Ryan. "Something is making half the women scheduled for abortion change their minds. Something has opened the eyes of the abortion providers at Moncton Hospital."

He says the announcement has generated remarkable media coverage, providing an unexpected but important educational opportunity. Suddenly abortion is back on the table for discussion. The hospital's action is giving the referring physicians pause and forcing everyone to take another look at the issue.

"Also, by saying the doctors are no longer willing to provide abortion on demand, Kogon acknowledges that not all in-hospital abortions are seen as medically necessary. This is an important admission," said Ryan.

Kogon spoke also of medically necessary abortions when the health of the mother or of the baby is at risk. These stricter conditions and the use of the word "baby" are other breakthroughs, Ryan said.

He predicts that though Moncton Hospital will continue to induce abortion for "the hard cases" that include unborn disabled babies, that practice may eventually collide with the anti-abortion policy of the Premier's Council for the Disabled.