Imagining the Next Chapter for Abortion Care in Canada: Pathways to Access and Equity 

Willow Paul (she/her) is the research manager on The Fireweed Project: Indigenous Peoples and the Right to Abortion. Willow is a queer cis woman of mixed ancestry, she is Gitxsan, Métis, Cree, French, and Ukrainian. Willow’s training is in social work, she holds a Bachelor of Social Work with a specialization in Indigenous child welfare. She has been working in Indigenous health research for over three years and is currently a graduate student at the University of Victoria, nesting her thesis in the Fireweed project.

Natasha Hines (she/her) is a registered nurse working  in K’jipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and chair of Wellness Within (WW) — an organization for heath and justice. As a RN, Natasha works in abortion care and is passionate about providing safe, inclusive reproductive healthcare. WW is a volunteer-based non-profit organization that serves women, transgender, and nonbinary people who have experienced criminalization and are pregnant or have young children. Through advocacy, collaboration, education, and research WW fights for health equity, reproductive justice, and prison abolition. 

Clark MacIntosh, BSc, BSW, is the Finance and Resource Centre Coordinator for the Nova Scotia Public Interest Research Group, and Queer Doula Coordinator with Wellness Within. They are a graduate of the Dalhousie School of Social Work, where they focused on anti-oppressive, queer-centred practice. As a disabled, non-binary parent of two, Clark is an advocate for accessible, equitable policy design who has consulted with non-profit groups organizations across the country in areas of anti-oppression, queer healthcare access and accessible policy. Their work developing the "Queer Doula Toolkit", along with associated research and training development, has been an international success culminating in the opportunity to present at the 2022 WPATH Symposium and partner with the Tegan and Sara Foundation on various projects.

President of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity, Faculty of Medicine, UBC

Nora Ahmadi Vosta Kalaei (she/they) is a community organizer, activist, and careworker in the anti gender-based violence and SRHRJ field, highlighting the role and intersections of queer and trans liberation in these areas. Her work centres a trauma-informed and survivor-centric lens as a means of working towards and achieving full autonomy and collective liberation for all, particularly QTBIPOC and further marginalized youth. As a trained peer supporter and abortion doula, they are committed to creating a community that prioritizes accessible, needs-based support for all students and community members alike. Through carework that prioritizes an explicitly intersectional feminist framework, she strives to address gaps in the system and create safe spaces in the reproductive field that are not only inclusive and educational, but sustainable.

Clara MacKinnon-Cabral is the President, Chair and Co-founder of missINFORMED, a national nonprofit devoted to tackling health misinformation of young people and promoting health equity knowledge. With an educational background from the University of Toronto in Neuroscience, Psychology, and Art History, and further certifications in Bioethics, Nonprofit Management, and Digital Marketing, Clara has cultivated a multidisciplinary approach to healthcare communication and education. Clara is an active ally and activist in the reproductive justice movement, leveraging her platforms to advocate for equitable health access and information. Her leadership in creating accessible health resources reflects her commitment to inclusivity and her adept skills in time management, attention to detail, and strategic communication. Lastly, Clara serves as the Communications Strategist at Sunnybrook Research Institute for INOVAIT, Canada's image-guided therapy and AI network.