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B.C.'s free birth control program puts some women at danger: SWAN Vancouver.

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Free coverage of prescription birth control in B.C. is putting some women in danger, advocates for immigrant sex workers in Vancouver warn.

The Supporting Women's Alternatives Network Vancouver says the province’s recently launched program—in which, as of April 1, Pharmacare covers the cost of many prescription contraceptives—changes nothing for immigrant and migrant women engaged in sex work.

“Patients are required to show a pharmacist a birth control prescription and BC Services Card, which is not available to temporary residents, including many of the women SWAN Vancouver supports,” the group wrote in a statement Tuesday.

Nakyung Kim, a UBC pharmacy student who recently completed a practicum with SWAN, says women who don’t have a proper I.D. may face questioning over their citizenship status or jobs.

“In the worst-case scenario, suspicious healthcare providers could alert authorities, including the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA),” Kim said in the SWAN statement.

It is illegal under federal law for temporary residents of Canada to engage in sex work.

Kim recommends three things to improve access to birth control for this marginalized group.

The first is to end the immigration ban on sex work, while another is to increase the number of low-barrier healthcare clinics and pharmacies across B.C.

Finally, Kim argues that providing community-led training for healthcare providers would increase access to “safe, non-judgemental and accessible health and medical services for sex workers.”

Kelly Go, SWAN Vancouver’s program manager, says the free prescription contraceptive program is just one example of the risks women in sex work face while trying to access basic services.

“Im/migrant women face layers of criminalization and the immigration ban on sex work trickles all the way down to their community pharmacy and impacts whether or not they can access the care they need without the threat of being arrested or deported,” said Go.

On Wednesday, WISH Drop-In Centre Society released a first-of-its kind, sex-worker led report on the risks sex workers face in the Lower Mainland and Southern Vancouver Island.

Due to capacity and logistics, WISH says SWAN Vancouver was not able to participate in the project, meaning the needs of migrant and immigrant sex workers were underrepresented.

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