Advancing reproductive justice for women’s health 

A Submission to the Federal Standing Committee on Health for the Women’s Health Study 

The majority of Canadians believe that protecting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) should be a federal government priority. Ensuring that women, trans, and non-binary people have their sexual and reproductive health needs met, and rights fulfilled, is critical to advancing gender equality and reproductive justice in Canada. As such, LEAF made the following recommendations to the Federal Standing Committee on Health’s Women’s Health Study:  

1. Invest in primary care and sexual and reproductive health care 

2. Invest in a national pharmacare plan, including universal contraception coverage 

3. Commit to a national strategy on sex-ed 

4. Work with Indigenous communities to shift away from the Birth Evacuation Policy 

These recommendations are drawn from LEAF’s Reproductive Justice Project and its guiding report, which draws on academic and grey literature research, key informant interviews, and individual reflections to outline reproductive justice issues in Canada today. They are by no means exhaustive, and as with all issues impacting women’s health, require deep social, economic, and political shifts towards equity to ensure that everyone can benefit from them.