Accessing abortion services in the Yukon can be difficult, especially for people in remote communities. While abortion care can be accessed at local medical clinics and hospitals in Haines Junction, Dawson City and Watson Lake, the range of services is limited, often requiring residents to travel to Whitehorse for care. Those who live in communities without a resident physician face even greater barriers as they must travel to Whitehorse for all abortion-related care.
Collaborating Organizations
- YSPOR
- Opal Clinic
- Yukon Status of Women Council (YSWC)
- Yukon government Health and Social Services, Sexualized Assault Response Unit
- Yukon government Health and Social Services, Community Nursing
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
The Project
The YSPOR team is working in collaboration with the Opal Clinic and the YSWC to explore the viability of offering no-touch abortion services in rural Yukon communities. This project is focused on assessing the safety and feasibility of delivering medical abortion care through telemedicine programs. The initiative emerged from the experiences of Dr. Fair at the Opal Clinic, the current political climate, and recent public posts and news articles that shared the significant challenges residents of the Yukon have faced in accessing care.
Isabelle Schwarz is the Research Assistant who will be supporting this project along with Dr. Michelle Leach. An advisory council has been assembled that currently includes the Opal Clinic, YSWC, the Yukon government Health and Social Services Sexualized Assault Response Unit, Community Nursing, and people with lived experience representatives.
Next Steps
This project is in its initial stages. The team is focusing on data analysis, reviewing literature, and engaging with other organizations to learn from established no-touch abortion programs. Information is being gathered to assess the current barriers to accessing abortion care in the Yukon, identifying key data that needs to be reviewed to identify the number of people who are facing challenges in accessing care, and exploring practices from other regions outside of the territory to better understand the policies and procedures for existing no-touch medical abortion programs.
The team is continuing to explore possible approaches to providing medical abortion care in the Yukon. We are welcoming and encouraging collaboration from anyone who is interested in this project.
To get involved or for any additional questions, please reach out to Isabelle Schwarz at ischwarz@yukonu.ca.