Free Contraception in BC: How BC Women’s Led the Charge

Great news for BC residents! On April 1st, the province was the first in Canada to provide free contraceptives, including the pill, IUDs, injections, and morning-after pills. The move was impacted by a study led by Dr. Wendy V. Norman, which found that the cost of managing unintended pregnancies in BC far exceeded the cost of providing free contraception subsidies. In fact, it’s estimated that providing free contraception could save the province a whopping $27 million annually in just four years.

B.C.’s free contraception plan renews push for Ottawa, other provinces to follow suit
by Global News

BC Women’s leads the way as B.C. becomes first in Canada to offer free prescription contraception
by BC Women’s Hospital

The Current with Matt Galloway: The impact of making prescription contraception free

by CBC Listen

Learn more about this groundbreaking initiative and the inspiring women behind the movement!

The Women’s Health Research Institute would like to acknowledge that we are uninvited guests on the unceded ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lo, and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-waututh) Nations.

As a provincial research institute committed to improving the health outcomes of women, including those across the 2SLGBTQIA+ spectrum, we recognize our responsibility in the collective effort towards establishing culturally safe health care systems and services that address health inequities among Indigenous peoples, especially Indigenous women, girls, and Two-spirit peoples.

We encourage all people involved in research to read both the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action and the In Plain Sight Report, and reflect on ways we can incorporate the recommendations into our work. As we gather in spaces together, we encourage you to reflect on your positionality on these lands and your personal commitments to reconciliation.

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