Iqaluit (Feb 24/03) - In March of 1992, a scandal erupted when it was discovered women at Stanton Hospital in the Northwest Territories were not given anesthetics when receiving abortions.

Women in Nunavut, like the rest of Canada, were given the right to choose in 1988. Right now there is one physician in the territory performing abortions, but is that enough? - photo illustration by Merle Robillard 1892 - Canada's first Criminal Code prohibits abortion and contraception in the country 1967 - A committee for the Canadian government considers amendments to the Criminal Code with regard to abortion. Dr. Henry Morgentaler urges freedom of choice. 1969 - Contraception and some abortions (if the pregnancy endangers a woman's life or health) are decriminalized. 1969 - Morgentaler performs abortions at his office in Quebec despite the Criminal Code. 1970 - Morgentaler charged for the first time with conspiring to perform abortions. 1988 - Supreme Court of Canada says the country's abortion law is unconstitutional. 1989 - Bill C-43 introduced, prohibiting abortion unless necessary for health reasons. 1990 - House of Commons passes Bill C-43 but the legislation is defeated by the Senate. Abortion becomes a legal procedure in Canada.

The scandal opened many eyes across the North and the struggle to provide safe abortions closer to home began.

"Sometimes it takes the courage of people to come forward with their story for us to become more aware. Now, if a woman chooses, she can have a termination done in Iqaluit. That's important," said Maureen Doherty, executive director of Nunavut's Qulliit Status of Women's Council.

Although abortions began to be performed at Baffin Regional Hospital in Iqaluit in the early 1990s, it wasn't a guaranteed procedure. When the doctor who performed abortions left Iqaluit, so did the service. It has only been offered regularly since 1997, but even today the hospital depends on one doctor to keep it going.

Doherty hopes the future focus will be taken away from abortion and put on ways of stopping pregnancies before they occurs.

"We need to get young women and men really good information on health, on birth control and on sexually transmitted diseases so they don't ever have to make the choice," she explained.

The numbers

There were 65,662 abortions across the country in 1999 according to Statistics Canada, and that doesn't include stats from Ontario.

In 2001, there were 365 registered births in Nunavut, but there were also 85 abortions performed at the Baffin Regional Hospital.

Without accounting for the Nunavut abortions and births in the South, the numbers show more than one in five pregnancies in the territory that year ended in termination.

Then and now

Up until the late 1990s, women in Nunavut who chose to have an abortion travelled to a southern facility for the procedure unless one of the transient doctors at the Baffin Regional Hospital happened to provide the service.

"I've worked here for 10 years and when I first got here, there was no one doing abortions," said Sandy Macdonald, Nunavut's director of medical affairs. "It was a nightmare. Women have good access to the service here now. The alternative is very problematic."

Now, a woman can stay in Nunavut for an abortion if she is up to 12 weeks into her pregnancy, otherwise she'll be referred to a Southern facility under contract with the Government of Nunavut.

In Canada, termination of a pregnancy is legal up to 20 weeks into gestation.

Future of abortion in Nunavut

Right now, the territory has a doctor it can rely on and other options may soon be opening up for women to take advantage of.

Dr. Henry Morgentaler, who met with Nunavut health officials during his visit in October, is exploring the idea of opening health centres for women in the Arctic. The controversial doctor is well-known for his fight to make abortion legal and clinics in his name are spread across Canada.

Nunavut Health Minister Ed Picco said as long as abortion remains legal in Canada, the service will be available in his territory.

"Abortion is an insured service. The government of Nunavut is mandated under the Canadian Health Act to carry out insured services," he said.

"I want to make sure the best services are available to all Nunavummiut. I was not elected to judge someone, to judge someone's lifestyle or their choices."