When Donald Trump was elected for a second presidential term, I rushed to sign the petition for the creation of a free access to contraception program in Quebec. The American election reminded me that women’s rights here too are important to defend.
I am not the only person who had the reflex to sign the petition, even though the link for signing circulated a lot the day after the American presidential election.
This initiative could give women and others in need more equitable access to contraception, which can sometimes cost hundreds of dollars a year.
The government needs to support people with uteruses more.
A question of equality
In an article from 24 hourswe can read the words of Anne-Sophie Gignac, the political coordinator of the Quebec Federation for Birth Planning (FQPN) and responsible for the contraception file:
“We see it every day, women who cannot afford an IUD on their tight budget or who do not take the contraceptive pill every month because they cannot afford it financially.”
She also underlines that it is not egalitarian to leave a large proportion of people who can give birth to bear the costs of contraception alone.
Protect our rights here
For too long we have left women and those who can become pregnant to silently handle the burden of contraception.
Yes, I consider myself lucky to live in Canada when I see, for example, the right to abortion threatened in the United States. This motivates me even more to mobilize for my rights as a woman in my country.
I really hope that the petition will have the desired effects, because it is not normal to feel like you are begging for a minimum of equality.
