Clinic 554 in Fredericton (Courtesy Google Maps)
The only privately-run clinic to offer abortions in New Brunswick has been doing a lot more than just providing reproductive health services.
Clinic 554 in Fredericton is a family practice with more than 3,000 patients who will now be added to the growing provincial waitlist for a doctor.
Medical director Dr. Adrian Edgar says his patients are struggling with addictions, others are LGBT, some are HIV positive and many are coping with mental health issues.
Dr. Edgar says his clinic has been a safe space for those who have faced marginalization and violence.
With the impending closure, Dr. Edgar says clinic patients will be forced to travel elsewhere and will have to bear the burden of added costs and delays.
He fears for his patients and regrets asking the health and social justice communities to come together to fill the gap in the clinic’s absence.
The provincial government has never funded any health services at the clinic which is why Dr. Edgar says it is finally forced to close.
He adds the clinic has managed to stay open over the years through sheer perseverance and the charity of individuals from across Canada.
The clinic’s closure became part of the federal election this week when NDP leader Jagmeet Singh accused Liberal leader Justin Trudeau of failing to stand up for abortion services in New Brunswick even though he is campaigning on the issue.
