Invitational Workshop: Contemporary Abortion Politics

context

While Canada has long been recognized as a world leader in legal access to abortion, it is only since 2017 that medical abortions (i.e., use of the “abortion pill”) have been widely available—decades after similar jurisdictions (e.g., the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Sweden, and Denmark). As a result of this late onset, there is still a limited understanding of how medical abortions occur across the country, and reports suggest that there are continuing barriers to access.

The emergence of the “abortion pill” in Canada occurred in tandem with a body of research demonstrating that medical abortions in the early stages of pregnancy can be safely self-managed, supported not by healthcare providers, but rather by activists and NGOs committed to the cause. Because access to medical abortion in occurs via prescription, self-managed abortion is not available, although abortion advocates recommend moving away from models that continue to rely on medical providers as “gatekeepers” in early stages of pregnancy to those that would enable wider access and address persistent barriers to care.

This one-day invitational workshop will provide a critical opportunity for scholars, advocates, practitioners, and community members working on abortion to come together to interrogate contemporary challenges in the provision of abortion care. Focusing on medical abortion and the potential for self-managed abortion, the workshop will also highlight the strong cadre of researchers at the University of Waterloo working on contemporary challenges in the politics of reproduction.

logistics

Time: 9:30-4:30pm Eastern

Location: Balsillie School of International Affairs, which is part of the CIGI Campus in Waterloo, Canada. The address is 67 Erb Street West.

How to find us:

Parking: Please note that during business hours, parking is available in the Erb Lot across the street from the School (marked “E” on the map: https://uptownwaterloobia.com/uptown-parking/). This lot is free for the first two hours, then you may purchase additional time using the Honk Mobile app. There is no parking available in the CIGI Campus lot.

Public transit: The School is located on the GRT #5 bus route and near the Uptown Waterloo and Willis Way ION stops. Or, it is about a 25 min walk from campus.

schedule

1:00pm - 2:15pm

2:15pm - 2:30pm

2:30pm - 4:00pm