Event Details
Across immigration statuses, pregnant migrants experience a range of healthcare inequities in Canada, especially when medically uninsured. Medically uninsured pregnant people tend to have delayed access to abortion and prenatal care due to cost, concerns regarding their status, and difficulties navigating the system, resulting in increased health risks and emotional stress. Smaller cities, such as Winnipeg and Brandon, host increasing numbers of precarious migrants with barriers to health insurance, but thus far have few established supports and pathways for navigating this issue. There is very little documented about how pregnant medically uninsured migrants navigate the Manitoba health system and what their experiences are.
In this presentation Dr Lindsay Larios, Metogbe Patricia Ahonon, and Heidi Elias will highlight the findings from their research based on interviews with uninsured migrants who have experienced pregnancy and service providers who work to facilitate care in Manitoba. They will highlight the challenges and strategies encountered when trying to access or facilitate access to care in order to illuminate how precarious migration impacts reproductive healthcare and the overall well-being of families and offer recommendations for migrant reproductive justice in Manitoba.
Presenters:
Dr. Lindsay Larios is an interdisciplinary critical policy researcher and assistant professor in social work at the University of Manitoba. She studies citizenship and immigration as they intersect with family and reproductive policies and the ways in which access to care is shaped by immigration, jurisdiction, and borders of all kinds. She is on the board of the Women’s Health Clinic and is active with the Healthcare for All Manitoba Coalition.
Metogbe Patricia Ahonon is a PhD student in Social Work at the University of Manitoba. She holds an MBA from the Institut Supérieur Adonai in Benin, along with a BSW and MSW from Salisbury University, USA. She has over 10 years of experience as social worker and counselor for people with disabilities, homeless populations, and individuals affected by substance use disorders in Maryland, USA. Her current research focuses on reproductive justice and decision-making among African migrant women.
Heidi Elias is a non-practicing Registered Midwife living and working in Treaty One territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She currently is an instructor for the Bachelor of Midwifery program at the University of Manitoba and a Masters of Midwifery student at McMaster University. She sits on the Council for the College of Midwives of Manitoba and is a grateful mama to one spunky little girl.
Who Should Attend:
This presentation is free and open to anyone interested in learning about Migrant Reproductive Justice.
When
Location
- Virtual
