Thousands of Manitobans have taken the province up on its offer of free prescription birth control since the program launched Oct. 1.
“In one month, 12,436 Manitobans signed up for free birth control with many more accessing it each and every day,” Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said in question period Thursday.
In its first month, it cost the province $743,528, a spokesperson for the minister said.
RICH PEDRONCELLI / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Providing free contraceptives to people who have no drug plan was an NDP campaign promise.
Providing free contraceptives to people who have no drug plan was an NDP campaign promise. Its first budget in April included $5 million to cover costs for the remainder of this fiscal year, until March 31, 2025.
The program is expected to cost $11 million a year.
Manitoba is covering the full cost of about 60 common prescription birth-control methods, including the pill, intrauterine devices (IUDs), and hormone injections and implants. The morning-after pill, which is available without a prescription, is not on the list.
Some women use contraceptives to manage irregular and painful periods as well as acne.
“This investment gives folks the freedom to make the reproductive health choices that are the best for them… all while saving Manitobans hundreds of dollars every single month and year,” the health minister said.
Manitoba is not the first province to roll out free prescription birth control.
British Columbia has provided it since April 1, 2023. In the first six months, that province of 5.6 million people reported that 166,000 women were prescribed free contraceptives. After eight months, the number grew to 188,000. B.C. budgeted $119 million over three years to allow full coverage.
carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Carol Sanders
Legislature reporter
Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol.
Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.