Free prescription birth control to start in Manitoba on Oct. 1

Birth control will become free for all Manitobans with a prescription as of Oct. 1, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced on Thursday.

The Manitoba pharmacare program will cover the full cost of about 60 commonly used birth control products, including the pill, intrauterine devices, hormone injections and others.

"Costs should never be a barrier to you receiving the health care you need, and we all know that reproductive health care is health care. Birth control is health care," Asagwara said.

"People deserve to have autonomy over their bodies, autonomy over their health-care choices, and to have the choice to make reproductive decisions that make the most sense for them. This announcement today is about reproductive justice."

At the moment, cost is a barrier for many, Asagwara said.

Someone who pays $25 a month for oral hormonal pills could save as much as $10,000 over their lifetime under the new free plan, they said.

"Our government is breaking down those barriers."

To get the free coverage, Manitobans who do not already have coverage from another federal or provincial program can present their prescription and their Manitoba Health Card at a pharmacy for a birth control product.

People can get a prescription from their doctor or a nurse practitioner, at a walk-in clinic or in a hospital.

"In a world where reproductive rights are increasingly threatened … [this] announcement affirms reproductive health care as a human right and as a means of empowerment [and] liberation," Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said.

"Free birth control reduces health-care costs associated with unintended pregnancies, including prenatal care, delivery and abortion services. Free birth control fundamentally contributes to gender equality by ensuring women, girls and gender-diverse folks have the same opportunities as men in education, employment and personal development."

It also helps in breaking the cycle of poverty and allows women more freedom to determine when, with whom or if they're in a relationship, Fontaine said.

It is estimated the coverage will cost the province about $11 million per year.

Morning-after pill not included

The NDP first announced its plan for free prescription birth control in its election campaign and then repeated it in its throne speech in November 2023 and again in its March 2024 budget.

During the election campaign, the NDP said coverage would include emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs), otherwise known as morning-after pills. Thursday's announcement, however, did not include those.

"We are doing the work right now of evaluating the best approach for something like the morning-after pill," Asagwara said.

It is currently available for people without a prescription, whereas the other products being covered require one, Asagwara said.

"We're taking a good look at how do we best ensure that the morning-after pill is most accessible to Manitobans, not less. There's more that our government is doing with our health-care experts."

Kemlin Nembhard, executive director of the Women's Health Clinic in Winnipeg, says she's "overjoyed" to hear the province's program is rolling out so quickly.

However, she said it's unfortunate some contraceptives, such as the morning-after pill and condoms, are not included.

Nembhard said the program will work for about 75 to 80 per cent of Manitobans, but people experiencing homelessness, for example, may not have a doctor or be able to obtain a prescription and go to a pharmacy.

Youth, people who are in a domestic abuse situation, international students, migrant workers or people with a lower income also may not feel comfortable accessing the program or have the choices others have, she said.

Nembhard said the Women's Health Clinic spends between $25,000 to $175,000 to provide free birth control for people across the province — costs that could decrease as the province's program rolls out.

"I think this is something that every province should do. This is something that should just be a given, you know, as part of our health-care system," Nembhard said in an interview.

The clinic will continue to offer condoms and the morning-after pill free of charge, she said, adding that she hopes the province will follow suit in the future.

Not just about contraception, says doctor

Family physician Dr. Jacqueline Gougeon said it's important to recognize that having free access to birth control isn't just about contraception.

"This is about managing periods [and] other symptoms that can come with hormonal changes," such as acne and dysmenorrhea, which is defined as pain during the menstrual cycle, she said at Thursday's news conference.

"Many young women who seek contraceptives are not seeking contraception, they're seeking a way to manage their irregular and painful bleeding. Having that autonomy as a woman, or a person with a uterus, to be able to decide to not have periods is incredibly empowering," she said.

"This is a huge advance for us as nurse practitioners and other primary care providers and physicians to be able to offer these treatments."

The federal government has also promised to cover prescription birth control under a national pharmacare program. Asagwara said the province decided to move ahead on its own while working out a deal with Ottawa.

"We're going to work with them to find the best approach moving forward, based on what happens with that [federal] legislation, but we're going ahead with this plan because we know it's what's in the best interest of women, girls and gender-diverse folks across Manitoba."