Vancouver abortion and sexual health clinic to close after 35 years
A Vancouver abortion and sexual and reproductive healthcare clinic will soon be permanently closing its doors.
In an announcement published on its website last week, the board of the Elizabeth Bagshaw Clinic (EBC) said it would be ending operations after 35 years.
EBC opened its doors in 1989, providing essential health care services to thousands of British Columbians. These services include abortion procedures, IUD insertion and removal, counselling, PAP screening, and STI testing.
The board cited “changes to the provincial health care system, including Vancouver Coastal Health’s (VCH) plans to shift to a new model for sexual and reproductive health” as creating an “uncertain future” for independent clinics.
“Additional operational barriers, including new accreditation standards and lease constraints, made it impossible for the clinic to continue operating,” it added.
The clinic, which is located at 1170 W. Broadway, noted that investments in a new site did not “make sense” with its lease set to expire this summer and one more year of confirmed funding.
“This was not a choice the board wanted to make, but given the structural challenges, it became unavoidable,” said EBC, adding that the closure highlights “gaps” in care, given that half of its patients come from outside the Vancouver Coastal Health region.
Board co-chair Robyn Jones-Murrell urged the provincial government to take action by creating a “strategy for community-based and trauma-informed sexual and reproductive health care.”
“Without a sustainable, coordinated system, access to critical services like abortion, STI testing, and contraception will continue to be at risk,” she said.
Health Minister Josie Osborne addressed the clinic’s closure last week, stating that it was a “key priority” to protect access to abortion services in B.C.
She added that “there will be no stop or ending of that access.”
EBC said it would remain open and continue to provide care until June 30, 2025.