A Prince Edward Island woman living in Halifax says she won’t let online backlash keep her from offering a safe space to those traveling here to have an abortion.
Last Thursday, Chelsey Buchanan posted on Facebook she was willing to open her and boyfriend’s home to Prince Edward Island women who need to have the procedure in a Halifax hospital.
“If I was in [this] situation I wouldn’t be able to even consider going over to Halifax,” Buchanan said Wednesday.
“It’s horrible, because it’s something that I shouldn’t have to do.”
P.E.I. is the only province where surgical abortions are not performed.
Buchanan said she wanted to reach out after reading the Sovereign Uterus blog, where P.E.I. women share their experiences of going outside the province to have an abortion.
Many often went against doctor’s orders and traveled back the same day to save on hotel and food costs, Buchanan said.
“Why not give someone another option if they feel like they can’t afford it, or feel uncomfortable being alone,” she said.
Buchanan said she would offer a bed, bus tickets, food, and a drive to the clinic to any woman who needs it, but would not ask questions about the abortion unless the woman wanted to talk.
While Buchanan said the personal response to her post (which has been shared more than 190 times) has been positive, there have been negative comments on other online news articles where people cite religious beliefs and say what she’s doing is wrong.
“We … agree that we have differences but just keep going on with it,” Buchanan said.
RELATED: P.E.I., Moncton Hospital to improve access to abortions for Island women
Starting July 1, P.E.I. women can also have abortions covered by Medicare at the Moncton Hospital.
Buchanan said this is a “good step,” but doesn’t solve the main issue, since women would still have to pay their own way to Moncton.
“That’s still not really what P.E.I. needs … saying ‘You can travel to this other place that’s still out of province,’” Buchanan said.
No women have contacted Buchanan yet, but she said she’s hopeful some might feel comfortable coming to her after the initial public interest calms down.
Buchanan said she hopes her offer catches the attention of someone in the P.E.I. government or health care system who will work towards offering the service.
A Prince Edward Island woman living in Halifax says she won’t let online backlash keep her from offering a safe space to those traveling here to have an abortion.
Last Thursday, Chelsey Buchanan posted on Facebook she was willing to open her and boyfriend’s home to Prince Edward Island women who need to have the procedure in a Halifax hospital.
“If I was in [this] situation I wouldn’t be able to even consider going over to Halifax,” Buchanan said Wednesday.
“It’s horrible, because it’s something that I shouldn’t have to do.”
P.E.I. is the only province where surgical abortions are not performed.
Buchanan said she wanted to reach out after reading the Sovereign Uterus blog, where P.E.I. women share their experiences of going outside the province to have an abortion.
Many often went against doctor’s orders and traveled back the same day to save on hotel and food costs, Buchanan said.
“Why not give someone another option if they feel like they can’t afford it, or feel uncomfortable being alone,” she said.
Buchanan said she would offer a bed, bus tickets, food, and a drive to the clinic to any woman who needs it, but would not ask questions about the abortion unless the woman wanted to talk.
While Buchanan said the personal response to her post (which has been shared more than 190 times) has been positive, there have been negative comments on other online news articles where people cite religious beliefs and say what she’s doing is wrong.
“We … agree that we have differences but just keep going on with it,” Buchanan said.
RELATED: P.E.I., Moncton Hospital to improve access to abortions for Island women
Starting July 1, P.E.I. women can also have abortions covered by Medicare at the Moncton Hospital.
Buchanan said this is a “good step,” but doesn’t solve the main issue, since women would still have to pay their own way to Moncton.
“That’s still not really what P.E.I. needs … saying ‘You can travel to this other place that’s still out of province,’” Buchanan said.
No women have contacted Buchanan yet, but she said she’s hopeful some might feel comfortable coming to her after the initial public interest calms down.
Buchanan said she hopes her offer catches the attention of someone in the P.E.I. government or health care system who will work towards offering the service.
