Disha Mitra
Google searches on ‘how to move to Canada’ spiked 850% after abortion ruling.
Source: The Guardian
Last week, the overturning of Roe v. Wade. spread a wave of panic around the United States, with people anxious about crossing state lines to access abortion. However, now it looks like people in the country are looking to move all the way to Canada to escape this abortion ruling.
Google Trends data shows that searches on Google for ‘how to move to Canada from US’ significantly jumped on Friday, June 24. Clearly, this was right after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in a ruling last week. The search reportedly surged about 850% in the hour following the decision. Alongside, search for ‘how to become a Canadian citizen’ went up by 550% at this time last week.
Following the leak of a draft of the Supreme Court decision in May, the Canadian Prime Minister expressed his support for rights of women. Justin Trudeau expressed his immense support for the reproductive rights of women in a post on Twitter. On Friday, he gave his word to defend abortion rights in Canada, along with rights all around the world following the overturning of the Roe v. Wade.
At a news conference in Kigali, Rwanda, the Canadian Prime Minister referred to the decision by the court as a ‘devastating setback’ for the women in the US. Clearly, these women would now fall victim to several disparities in accessibility abortion services in the states they reside in.
Reports noted how Trudeau called this ruling ‘horrific,’ warning that it could also lead to weakened protections for same-sex couple at some points. He stated how women in the US ‘fought for more rights’ for ages, only to end up witnessing ‘this setback,’ with the constant worry about more rights being taken away.’
Abortion services in Canada:
In Canada, abortion is legal at any stage of pregnancy, with any American getting access to the services by having to pay for it from their own pockets. A Cabinet member stated this, adding that there was ‘no reason’ for turning anyone away from getting the procedure. However, certain women residing in rural areas of provinces such as Saskatchewan and Alberta are compelled to travel to urban centres to access surgical abortions.
Reportedly, the cost for Americans to travel to Canada could prove to be prohibitive, excluding the cost of services or getting a passport. In fact, many Canadians warned Americans that the process may not be as simple as they expect it to be.