Abortion & Contraception

The CARE program provides services for women who are experiencing an unintended pregnancy, or who require an abortion for genetic or medical reasons.

Abortion

We provide surgical abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy through the BC Women's Abortion Clinic (CARE Program). For more information, or to book an appointment, please contact us.

The CARE Program provides surgical abortions using conscious (awake) sedation and local anesthesia for managing pain. Your clinic visit may take up to four hours. BC Women's does not provide medical abortions.

Information on: types of abortions, preparing for your appointment and aftercare.

Book online

You can book an appointment online at any time via our secure confidential booking site. You will be asked to fill out a questionnaire that will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. You will receive a confirmation of your online booking within two business days.

Book by phone

Phone: 604-875-2022 or 1-888-300-3088 ext. 2022 (toll free)
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday (except statutory holidays).

Have your CareCard number available. If you do not have a CareCard or you are not from British Columbia, please inform the booking clerk
Our phone lines are busy. Please be prepared to wait to speak to a booking clerk
Booking your appointment will take 15 to 20 minutes
You must make your appointment yourself. We will ask you questions about your personal and medical history, including this pregnancy
You will need two pieces of identification to enter the clinic. One piece must be photo ID and the other, your BC CareCard. If you do not have ID please tell the clerk while you are booking your appointment

Fees

Abortion procedures are covered through the Medical Services Plan of BC. If you are not sure of your coverage refer to http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/msp/.

If you do not have a BC CareCard, or outside of the Yukon, North West Territories, Alberta, or Nunavut, the cost can range between $500.00 and $650.00 for the abortion procedure.

In situations where additional preparation for the abortion is required there will be additional costs.

We accept Cash/Debit/Visa/Mastercard.

Confirming your appointment:

The booking clerk will give you a date and time to confirm your abortion appointment
You must confirm your appointment as directed by the booking clerk or it will be cancelled automatically
To confirm your appointment call: 604-875-2022 or 1-888-300-3088, ext.2022 (toll free). Press #1 and give your name and the date and time of your appointment
You will not receive a return call from CARE confirming that we have received your confirmation.

Counselling

We offer counselling advice and information either in person at our Clinic in Vancouver, or via our telephone counselling line.

Phone: 604-875-2022 or 1-888-300-3088 ext. 2022 (toll free)
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday (except statutory holidays)

1. Counselling services at CARE

All of our appointments begin with a session with on of our counsellors. During this session, you will be provided with all the information you may need to help you make a decision. The counsellor will explain the procedure and how to take care of yourself afterwards. Our counsellor will review the consent form with you and answer any questions you may have before you sign it.

Please note, in order to maintain social distancing during the COVID-19 restrictions, we are providing an option to have your counselling session by phone or by virtual health the day before your appointment. This will be arranged at the time of your appointment booking.

Attached are some links to sheet that we may be reviewing with you at the time of counselling:

Counselling is also available is available to patients after their abortion or pregnancy loss.

2. Pregnancy Options Service (POS)

Pregnancy Options Services (POS) is a province-wide toll-free confidential counselling, information and referral service.

We serve women who are pregnant and want confidential, unbiased, non-judgemental decision making and crisis counselling. We provide information about abortion, adoption, and parenting resources.

If you choose to have an abortion, we will assist you to access services as close to home as possible. We can assist with arrangements in situations where you may need to travel away from home, or to the United States for abortion services.

Contact: 1-888-875-3163 (toll-free), or 604-875-3163
Email: pos@cw.bc.ca

Contraception

For some women having an abortion is their first opportunity to think about using a method of contraception (birth control). An unintended pregnancy can happen again within a few weeks after an abortion. The counsellor can provide both information and access to the method of contraception that you choose.

Emergency contraception

If your method of contraception fails (for example if the condom breaks or slips off, or if you did not use any method when you had sexual intercourse), emergency contraception (EC) can reduce your risk of a pregnancy.

You can use an EC pill (commonly known as "the morning-after pill") up to 3 days (72 hours) after having unprotected sex, but the sooner you take the medication, the more effective it will be in preventing a pregnancy. EC pills are moderately effective in preventing pregnancy and do not work if you are already pregnant. You can get access to EC pills from a local pharmacy, clinic, or by speaking to your doctor.

The most effective form of EC is a copper IUD which can be inserted up to 7 days after unprotected sex. Copper IUDs can be removed any time after your next period. You may also decide to leave it in place as an ongoing contraceptive (effective for up to 5 or 10 years depending in the type you choose). You may have an emergency copper IUD inserted at the CARE clinic or find another provider at www.emergencyiud.com.

You can get emergency contraception from:

Options for Sexual Health
Youth clinics (PDF)
Most doctors' offices
Pharmacies (pharmacies charge a dispensing fee and process will range from $20 to $50)
EC-IUD Rapid Access Network

Free contraception on the day of your abortion

The CARE clinic is currently participating in a provincial pilot program that provides free birth control to all women at the time of their abortion who:

Have valid insurance with the BC Medical Services Plan (MSP/CareCard); and
Allow their information to be reviewed so the program may be evaluated

To be eligible for free birth control you must start contraception on the day of your abortion.

A counsellor in CARE will speak to you about a broad range of birth control choices. The pros and cons of each choice will be reviewed to help you decide which one would be best for you.

Two of the most useful methods are free through the program:

Intrauterine contraceptives (IUCs) - Mirena (hormone-releasing) or copper (non-hormonal)
Hormonal contraceptives - 1 package of pills OR 1 shot of Depo-Provera

Contraception at any time

If you choose not to select a birth control on the day of your abortion, you will continue to have access to the full range of birth control choices, but you will need to pay for them yourself. Your care, however, will not change. You can make an appointment in CARE at anytime after your abortion to discuss contraception options with one of our counsellors.

You can find additional information about contraception at the links below:

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Provincial Health Services Authority