New Brunswick — Provincial Legal Snapshot

◷Legal limitNone (nationwide)

◷Offered locally to14 weeks (policy)

✓Insured serviceYes

✓Clinic abortions fundedYes

✓Mifegymiso covered for allYes

✓TelehealthAvailable

✕Safe-access zonesNo law

✓Reciprocal billingCovered

✕Travel assistanceNo

✕Institutional objectionNo

✕Parental involvementNot required

◷Minor consentMature minor common law

⚠Pending changeSee below

§ Jurisdiction overview

New Brunswick publicly funds both medication and procedural abortion for all Medicare holders, but procedural services are limited to three hospitals in two cities with no free-standing clinics.

Medical Services Payment Act, RSNB 1973, c M-7 · General Regulation - Medical Services Payment Act, NB Reg 84-20 · Changes announced to fund surgical abortions outside hospitals (GNB News Release, November 7, 2024)

▤ Funding & coverage

Both procedural and medication abortion are insured services under the New Brunswick Medical Services Payment Act for all residents with a valid Medicare card, without restriction to hospital settings as of November 2024.

Medical Services Payment Act, RSNB 1973, c M-7, s 1 · Changes announced to fund surgical abortions outside hospitals (GNB News Release, November 7, 2024) · Health Canada, Question Period Note: Abortion Access (2024)

Clinic vs. hospital funding

The November 2024 repeal of Regulation 84-20, Schedule 2(a.1) ended the decades-old exclusion of clinic-based procedural abortions from Medicare coverage, though no community clinics have yet begun offering the service.

Travel & out-of-province care

New Brunswick is one of only two provinces with no public medical travel subsidy program; patients who must travel for an abortion bear their own transportation costs, though limited hostel and meal allowances exist for out-of-province care.

◉ Where services actually are

Procedural abortion is available at three hospitals — the Moncton Hospital, Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre (Moncton), and Chaleur Regional Hospital (Bathurst) — while medication abortion can be prescribed by any physician or nurse practitioner province-wide. Procedural abortion is routinely available up to 14 weeks in Moncton and 13 weeks 6 days in Bathurst, with Moncton Hospital occasionally able to accommodate patients up to 18 weeks depending on physician availability — these are service-policy limits, not legal ones.

Vitalité Health Network, 'Abortion' service page · Horizon Health Network, 'Family Planning Clinic – Abortion Clinic' · GNB News Release, 'New central phone service to support self-referral for abortion services' (March 11, 2026)

Minors

Under the Medical Consent of Minors Act, a minor aged 16 or older consents as an adult; a minor under 16 may consent if a health professional determines they understand the nature and consequences and the treatment is in their best interests.

Safe-access zones

New Brunswick has no statutory safe-access-zone or buffer-zone law protecting abortion facilities, providers, or patients from protest, harassment, or obstruction.

⇆ Recent changes

▪Mar 2026The CPSNB updated its Conscientious Objection professional standard (version 3), joining standards from other Atlantic provinces.

▪Mar 2026The government introduced amendments to the Midwifery Act to expand midwives' scope of practice to include care throughout child-bearing years; the bill does not explicitly add Mifegymiso prescribing but may enable it through regulation.

▪Mar 2026New Brunswick launched a centralized self-referral phone line (1-844-806-9205) for abortion services, allowing patients to navigate options and book appointments through a single toll-free number operated by Horizon Health Network.

▪Nov 2024Premier Susan Holt's newly elected Liberal government approved changes to Regulation 84-20, removing abortion from Schedule 2 and allowing Medicare to fund surgical abortions outside hospitals for the first time in decades.

▪Jan 2024Clinic 554 in Fredericton — the last free-standing abortion clinic in New Brunswick — closed permanently, eliminating all community-based procedural abortion services in the province.

▪Jan 2021The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) filed a constitutional challenge against Regulation 84-20 in the New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, alleging that the hospital-only funding restriction violated the Charter and the Canada Health Act.

▪Mar 2020The federal government began deducting Canada Health Transfer payments from New Brunswick ($140,000 initially) for patient charges at Clinic 554, the private abortion clinic in Fredericton, for violations of the Canada Health Act's prohibition on user charges.

⚠ Pending changes to watch

⚠

Bill: An Act to Amend the Midwifery Act (introduced March 18, 2026)

Legislation · Introduced; not yet passed as of July 2025

If passed, would expand midwives' scope to include care throughout child-bearing years.

⚠

Universal contraception coverage (2024 Liberal throne speech promise)

Policy · Commitment reaffirmed by Health Minister John Dornan (November 2025); no bill introduced as of July 2025

Would reduce unintended pregnancies and thus demand for abortion. Dornan has said the province will proceed with or without a federal pharmacare agreement. No legislative mechanism has been specified.

⚖ Key authorities

Generated from the structured legal focused deep-research record for NB, Canada (research completed 2026-07-13). This snapshot condenses a much larger sourced dataset — full citations, quoted statutory text, and plain-language explanations are in the full New Brunswick survey. This document has not been reviewed by a lawyer and should not be used as legal advice.