The Roe v Wade decision has not only made crossing state lines a big issue in seeking an abortion, but Americans are also looking at the bigger picture – Moving to Canada.
Google searches for “how to move to Canada from U.S.” surged on Friday following the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, according to Google Trends data.
“how to move to Canada from U.S.” spiked 850 percent in the hour after the Supreme Court decision was announced in the U.S., reports Axios, and “How to become a Canadian citizen” spiked 550 percent in the same time frame.
As for Canada, you may just find a lot of encouragement if you are thinking of becoming Canadian.
When a leaked draft of the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v Wade was leaked last month, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to Twitter to reaffirm his support for women’s reproductive rights, according to Digital Journal.
Prime Minister Trudeau on Friday promised to defend abortion rights in Canada and around the world after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling, reports Global News.
Trudeau was speaking at a news conference in Kigali, Rwanda, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Trudeau called the court’s decision a “devastating setback” for American women, who will now face tremendous disparities in access depending on which state they live in.
Trudeau pronounced the ruling “horrific” and warned that it could eventually lead to weakened protections for same-sex couples, per the Washington Post. “Women for generations have fought for more rights in the United States, (only) to see this setback, to worry as well about how this can be expanded to more rights being taken away in the United States.”
Access to abortions varies across Canada
Abortion is legal at every stage of pregnancy in Canada. “If an American wanted a medical procedure, they could get one, they would just have to pay for it out of pocket,” a Cabinet member said. “There’s no reason why we would turn anyone away to receive that procedure here.”
However, in Canada, some women in rural areas of some provinces — including Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba — are forced to travel to urban centers for surgical abortions.
And for many Americans, the cost to travel to Canada could be prohibitive, and that is not including the cost of the procedure or getting a passport, reports First Post.
Canadians warn Americans that it might not be a simple process, reports Politico. “Wait lists are through the roof,” the head of Planned Parenthood Toronto said in May. “The places that do provide abortion or reproductive care in this country are overwhelmed.”
