The Fireweed Project’s
Published Articles
The Fireweed Project: Recommendations for Improving Abortion Access and Experiences by and for Indigenous Peoples in Canada
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Indigenous Peoples in Canada face significant barriers to accessing abortion services, attributed to colonial policies, systemic racism, and geographic isolation. Despite the presence of intergenerational reproductive knowledge, barriers persist. The Fireweed Project seeks to address barriers by gathering recommendations from Indigenous abortion seekers to improve access and experiences.
Forty-one-on-one conversations were conducted with Indigenous abortion seekers across Canada. Data was analyzed using the DEPICT participatory qualitative analysis model, ensuring that the voices of Indigenous communities were central to the process. The Indigenous Gender-Based Analysis Plus (IGBA+) framework further informed analysis, considering intersections of race, gender, and socio-economic status.
Six key themes emerged from the data, including the need for Indigenous-led reproductive health services, ongoing cultural safety training for healthcare providers, enhanced follow-up and support services, and dismantling abortion stigma within Indigenous communities. Participants also recommended expanding abortion education in schools and improving maternal-child health supports through policy change.
This study highlights the importance of centering Indigenous voices in the improvement of abortion services. Implementing the recommendations from Indigenous abortion seekers can help dismantle systemic barriers and improve cultural safety and accessibility of care. These findings contribute to ongoing efforts to ensure equitable reproductive health services for Indigenous communities in Canada.
Global Goal, Local Impact
Pilot Study’s Published Articles
“I would love for there not to be so many hoops … ”: recommendations to improve abortion service access and experiences made by Indigenous women and 2SLGTBQIA+ people in Canada
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Acknowledging the barriers in accessing sexual and reproductive health services that disproportionately impact Indigenous women and 2SLGTBQIA+ people, coupled with the lack of knowledge surrounding Indigenous peoples’ experiences with abortion, we present qualitative findings from a pilot study investigating Indigenous experiences of accessing abortion services in Canada. We focus on findings related to participant recommendations for improving safety and accessibility of abortion services made by and for Indigenous people in Canada. Informed by an Indigenous Advisory Committee consisting of front-line service providers working in the area of abortion service access and/ or support across Canada, the research team applied an Indigenous methodology to engage with 15 Indigenous people across Canada utilising a conversational interview method, between September and November 2021. With representation from nine provinces and territories across Canada, participants identified with Anishinaabe, Cree, Dene, Haudenosaunee, Inuit, Métis and/ or Mi’kmaq Nations. Five cross-cutting recommendations emerged, including: (1) location, comfort, and having autonomy to choose where the abortion takes place; (2) holistic post-abortion supports; (3) accessibility, availability, and awareness of non-biased and non-judgemental information; (4) companionship, advocacy, and logistical help before and during the abortion from a support person; and (5) cultural safety and the incorporation of local practices and knowledges. Recommendations demonstrate that Indigenous people who have experienced an abortion carry practical solutions for removing barriers and improving access to abortion services in the Canadian context.
A qualitative study exploring access barriers to abortion services among Indigenous Peoples in Canada
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This paper reports on findings from our exploratory qualitative study that aims to advance knowledge around access to and experiences with abortion services among Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
We applied an Indigenous methodology to engage with 15 Indigenous Peoples across Canada utilizing a conversational interview method. Our study was informed by an Indigenous Advisory Committee consisting of front-line service providers working in the area of abortion service access and/ or support across Canada.
We conducted conversations from September and November 2021. Participants identified with Métis, Cree, Dene, Inuit, Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Mi'kmaq nations, across nine provinces and territories. Participants spoke to six themes encompassing challenges and potential solutions around abortion access experiences among Indigenous Peoples in Canada. These included (1) logistical barriers, (2) poor treatment, (3) stigma, (4) impacts of colonialism on attitudes towards abortion, (5) traditional knowledge, and (6) follow-up care and support.
Our study demonstrates that Indigenous Peoples experience abortion access barriers that are different than non-Indigenous Canadians, and that these barriers are closely linked to colonialism.
Indigenous knowledges and practices that honor reproductive choice that pre-dates settler colonialism, must be brought forward into today to enhance the quality of abortion care.
