A Canadian government official has said that American women who want abortions would be able to get them in Canada following the leaked majority opinion draft by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito that indicated Roe v. Wade could likely be overturned.
Minister of Families head Karina Gould said in a Tuesday interview that Americans would be welcomed by their northern neighbor to get abortions in Canada if Roe is officially struck down.
“I don’t see why we would not,” she told CBC News. “If they, people, come here and need access, certainly, you know, that’s a service that would be provided.”
Gould also said she was “concerned” for both Canadian and American women.
“One of the concerning factors here is that there are many Canadian women who maybe don’t live near a major city in Canada, but will often access these services in the United States,” she stated. “I’m very concerned about the leak yesterday. I’m very concerned about what this means, particularly for American women, but also for Canadian women.”
A spokesperson for Gould noted that American women would have to pay for abortions in Canada unless they were covered through insurance.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also declared his support for protecting abortion following the news that U.S. abortion laws might soon be left to the states.
“The right to choose is a woman’s right and a woman’s right alone,” Trudeau tweeted on Tuesday. “Every woman in Canada has a right to a safe and legal abortion. We’ll never back down from protecting and promoting women’s rights in Canada and around the world.”
The comments come as the Supreme Court seems poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, which effectively legalized abortion in the United States. Since Roe, over 60 million unborn babies have been aborted.
Even with Roe overturned, about one-fourth of all abortions would still be legal alone with just New York and California. This reality has led to speculation that many women will go to one of these states to have the procedure done.
A growing number of companies, including Amazon, Citigroup, Yelp, and now Levi Strauss, have also announced they will pay for abortion-related travel.
A statement from Levi Strauss said it was essential to protect “reproductive rights.”
“Given what is at stake, business leaders need to make their voices heard and act to protect the health and well-being of our employees. That means protecting reproductive rights,” the clothing company said.
The announcement from Levi Strauss comes just after Amazon made its announcement on Monday. Terry Schilling, President of the American Principles Project, told The Daily Wire that conservatives should reconsider doing business with Amazon.
“Conservatives by now should be thinking twice before doing business with Amazon, and at the very least, Republican leaders should stop providing any special benefits to a company that is clearly working against the interests of American families,” he said.