Halifax sexual health clinic receives outpour of community support to provide free IUDs

A sexual health clinic in Halifax that has been providing free birth control devices to patients in need is facing a shortage of donations.

While there’s been an outpouring of support this week, ongoing help remains critical at the Reproductive Options and Services Clinic (ROSE).

“I think that was the problem, is that we got used to it. We knew we were able to help people and then we basically spent the donated money,” said Dr. Lianne Yoshida, the clinic’s medical co-director.

“We want to fill that gap. We want to be able to help patients during that gap of time, before the federal (universal coverage) program is up and running.”

The clinic has been offering IUDs to patients under its compassionate contraception program for the past three years.

There was an influx of donations from Nova Scotians back in 2022, when Roe v. Wade was overturned in the United States. The issue brought the topic to the forefront, and the money allowed ROSE to provide free IUDs to those who would otherwise fall through the cracks.

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“(An IUD) costs $400. And that’s an incredible investment if you stretch it over an eight-year period, but for a person to find $400 in their pocket? It’s just not realistic,” said Martha Paynter, a nursing professor at UNB and ROSE’s affiliate scientist.

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Yoshida announced the donation shortage earlier this week, and in response, the clinic has received an outpouring of support.

“We’ve had a number of donations, you know, everything from sort of $25 – people calling in to make that donation – to larger gifts and promises of larger gifts, which is also hopeful,” said Susan Mullin, the QEII Foundation’s president and CEO.

This week’s donations through the QEII Foundation means 10 IUDs could be immediately purchased for patients. But Yoshida says the need is ongoing.

“With the cost of living and the way employment is now, many people have to have two or three part-time jobs, which often don’t come with benefits. And those are the patients we help the most,” she said.

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Nova Scotia Health Department spokesperson Khalehla Perrault said in an emailed statement the government has been in touch with the clinic.

“It’s important to note that Nova Scotia’s Pharmacare Program currently covers contraception prescription, hormonal IUD, emergency contraception (Plan B), intravaginal contraception (NuvaRing) and injections (Depo-Provera),” she noted.

But those who are ineligible for the Pharmacare program and don’t have private insurance would not be covered.

“This should never have been dependent on philanthropy. This is a core need for every person with a uterus to be able to control their reproduction. It takes two to tango, and the fallout from unintended pregnancy is very unequal,” said Paynter.