Folks in Saskatoon gathered at Friendship Park on Monday morning for a “my body my choice” march.
This was done with the goal to draw attention to the events taking place in the United States and to improving access to reproductive care in Canada.
“Roe v. Wade has been overturned, erasing 50 years of hard work of many movements before of many people before, and it is not just a miscarriage of justice, it is a global humanitarian crisis,” said Carrie Klassen, Saskatoon representative for Women’s March.
There were close to 100 people at the rally, and roughly half were holding signs. Some said, “abortion is a human right” and “mind your own uterus.”
“We are human beings. In front of being a mother, a sister, a daughter, we are human beings first and our roles as women are important but they do not define us as human beings,” Klassen said.
“The Sask Party government is not working to ensure access to abortion,” said Vicki Mowat, MLA for Saskatoon Fairview and house leader of the NDP caucus.
“In fact, several cabinet members are anti-choice.”
Only two cities in Saskatchewan offer the procedure. According to Planned Parenthood Regina, women can have access to paid-for abortions up to 18 weeks and six days of their pregnancy. According to Saskatoon Sexual Health, abortions are funded up to 12 weeks.
“Sask Party refuses to fully fund abortion and they refuse to ensure that every single one of us can access abortion on demand. They’re not going to change anything unless we force them to,” said Angie Kells, executive director of Saskatoon Abortion Support Network.
The group hopes rallies like this one create better access for people down the line.
Global News reached out to the Sask Party for comment, but didn’t hear a reply in time for publication on Monday.