Quebec petition calling for free access to contraception goes viral after U.S. election

A petition calling on Quebec to introduce free access to all contraceptives has gone viral since this week's U.S. election that had reproductive rights on the ballot.

On the day after the Nov. 5 election, the petition only had about 1,500 signatures but has now grown to more than 55,000 as of Friday afternoon.

It was filed with the Quebec legislature on Sept. 23 by Québec solidaire's critic on the status of women, Ruba Ghazal. According to the petition, 40 per cent of pregnancies in Canada are unplanned, representing roughly 200,000 unplanned pregnancies each year. It also argues that contraception is "the best way to prevent unplanned pregnancies" and that the cost is the main barrier to access it.

It calls on the Quebec government to "introduce a program of free access to all methods of contraception available in Quebec, without exception."

The day after the presidential election, Elisabeth Labelle helped promote the petition by talking about it in a selfie video on her TikTok account, which has more than 320,000 views as of Friday afternoon.

@elisabeth_labelle Saviez-vous qu’il y a une pétition pour rendre tous les moyens de #contraception gratuits au Québec et qu’elle n’a récolté que 1500 signatures sur le site de l’Assemblée nationale du Québec? Et que le deadline pour la signer est le 25 novembre 😨 Au lendemain de la victoire de Trump, chassez la déprime en posant un geste #féministe et signez la pétition dans mon lien en bio ✍️ #polqc ♬ son original - Élisabeth Labelle | #PolQc

"Can you believe that this morning after Donald Trump's victory I had to leave the house to go and buy contraceptive pills?" she says in the video.

"So I'd like us to channel all our sadness, anger and powerlessness into signing this petition en masse before November 25th to show what Quebecers are made of."

President-elect Donald Trump has taken credit for appointing three Supreme Court judges who helped overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in June 2022, which stripped Americans of the nationwide right to abortion and paved the way for abortion bans in many Republican states.

Quebec Solidaire MNA Ruba Ghazal questions the government during question period, at the legislature in Quebec City, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

The petition, Ghazal says, underscores the importance of protecting women's fundamental rights.

"It is a depressed moment for people here in Quebec, for me, for a woman, for our rights," Ghazal said in an interview Friday. "So, it's a way for people, I think, for them, for women, to fight to protect our rights. So it became like a call to action against the election of Trump."

The federal government's pharmacare bill officially became law last month, and while it does include measures to cover the cost of some contraceptives, provinces and territories need to negotiate and sign agreements with Ottawa for the program to materialize.

British Columbia and Manitoba offer free access to some contraceptive care. Ghazal wants Quebec to cover birth control pills, intrauterine devices (IUDs), hormonal patches, as well as condoms, which she says would come at a cost of $48 million per year.

According to the petition, every dollar spent on contraceptive care can save $90 in taxpayer dollars spent on managing unplanned pregnancies in the health-care system.

Ghazal hopes the petition will send a strong message to the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government.

"It's a cost for the health system, for all of society, and it's an important measure to fight for the rights of all women in Quebec. It's a powerful message that in Quebec, we want to protect the rights of women," she said.

Insiya Mankani, public affairs officer with Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, said contraceptives can range from $20 per month for birth control pills to $400 for an IUD, and in most cases, often the most effective measures are the most expensive ones.

"No matter what is in your bank account, who you are, where you come from, you should have the power to decide if, when, and with whom to have children," Mankani said, "and making sure that everyone can access the kind of contraception that works for them means people can stand on equal ground to manage their reproductive health and decide on their futures."

The deadline to sign the petition is Nov. 25.