'Step toward reproductive freedom': Saskatchewan to offer full coverage of abortion pill

Sask. to cover abortion pill Watch: Saskatchewan is the last province to offer full coverage of Mifegymiso. Cally Stephanow reports.

The province of Saskatchewan will provide 100 per cent coverage for Mifegymiso, effective immediately.

Residents under the Saskatchewan Drug Plan will be eligible for coverage of Mifegymiso - a safe option for terminating early pregnancies.

Mifegymiso is the first oral method for medical termination of pregnancy to be approved by Health Canada.

After years of advocating for accessibility to the medication, the staff at Planned Parenthood was relieved by Friday's announcement.

It's such a step toward reproductive freedom for women in this province,” Jacqui Wasacase, executive director at Planned Parenthood said. “Thank you Government of Saskatchewan. We've been waiting for this for quite a while and we won’t even take into account that we're the last province to do this. We are just thrilled and excited that we are a province that is now offering this.”

The drug has been available in Saskatchewan since 2017, without coverage. The price tag was $300 to $400.

“Medical procedures are not the kind of decisions you necessarily want politicians making,” health Minister Jim Reiter said. “So politicians need to look to medical professionals for advice, and right from the start I said I’m going to ask the ministry to review it, with the likely hood I’m going to follow their advice and that's what I’m doing."

For more information, call the Drug Plan at 1-800-667-7581 toll-free or 306-787-3317 in Regina.

With files from CTV Regina's Cally Stephanow.