Advocates call on N.S. government to implement no-cost contraception coverage

A group rallied at the Nova Scotia Legislature – calling for free contraception for all.

Advocates in Nova Scotia are continuing to call for the province to implement universal no-cost contraception coverage.

Wellness Within, an organization for health and justice, and advocates from Access Now Nova Scotia, a coalition for free contraception, held a rally outside of the Nova Scotia Legislature on Thursday, which coincided with World Contraception Day.

“It has been nearly a year since Bill C-64, An Act respecting pharmacare, received royal assent and a year since intimate partner violence was declared an epidemic in Nova Scotia. A panel of experts appeared before the NS Legislative Standing Committee on Health on June 10, 2025, to advocate for barrier free access to contraception and PrEP,” a release from Wellness Within reads.

But the organization says they have yet to see action being taken to implement free contraception in the province.

“It’s about reminding the government time and time again that Nova Scotians need this benefit and want this benefit,” said Natasha Hines, Wellness Within chair.

British Columbia, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and Yukon have already implemented free contraception coverage for residents.

“Investing in contraceptives is considerably cheaper than the costs associated with unplanned pregnancy,” the release continues.

“At Halifax Sexual Health we have been offering free contraceptives since the 1980s actually. So, that’s a need we have seen since the beginning of our center,” said Abbey Ferguson, Halifax Sexual Health Centre executive director.

Wellness Within also says implementing no-cost contraception coverage would be beneficial to people in low paying, part-time and contract jobs who don’t have employer-based health plans. The groups says roughly 20 per cent of Nova Scotians have inadequate or no prescription drug coverage.

The organization also says free contraception coverage would help those who fall victim to intimate partner violence and gender-based violence.

“Women in Canada who face intimate-partner violence are two times as likely to experience an unintended pregnancy, with 1 in 4 Canadian women self-reporting not being able to freely make their own reproductive choices,” the release reads.

Advocates from both organizations call on the provincial government to take action to implement this coverage, whether through the Pharmacare deal offered by the Federal Government or a province-led policy.

“Nova Scotians need and deserve free access to this life-changing medicine,” Wellness Within says.

“Today we are tabling legislation that would make birth control free for all Nova Scotians. This is something we have been pushing for for a long time,” said N.S. NDP Leader Claudia Chender.

Nova Scotia Health Minister Michelle Thompson said there are other options.

“It’s important that people have access to birth control absolutely, some people will pay a co-pay or a premium, others, given their circumstances, will have that for free,” said Thompson.

Michael Makin is a doctor and a University of British Columbia medicine professor. He says government funding has made a difference for his clients.

“So, your school girls who couldn’t get it or were too embarrassed can walk into a pharmacy and get it for free without a prescription,” said Makin.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Emma Convey.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page