Reproductive health care is health care!
Cost is the single greatest barrier to contraceptive access. Folks without insurance are being forced to shell out hundreds of dollars per year for contraception to avoid unwanted pregnancies, to help mitigate the effects of existing chronic conditions like endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome, or lower the risk of ovarian, endometrial, and colorectal cancer.
Despite these many benefits, contraception remains grossly inaccessible for far too many Ontarians.
Access to contraception is key for achieving gender equity, reducing health care costs, and realizing our public health care goals. This province should empower ciswomen, transgender, and non-binary people to exercise choice over their reproductive health and that starts with ensuring that choice is accessible.
If you support MPP Stevens' motion that, in the opinion of this House, the Government of Ontario should direct the Ministry of Health to expand the Ontario Insurance Health Plan to cover prescription contraception, so that we will remove any cost barriers that limit people's ability to make free choices about their reproductive health and family planning, join me in signing this petition!