About Us

Abortion Support Services Atlantic was founded by Shannon Hardy in 2012. At the time, anyone seeking abortion care on Prince Edward Island had to leave the province and travel to New Brunswick. This also meant paying for gas, a place to stay, taking time off work, or arranging child care if needed. As a doula and social worker in Nova Scotia, Shannon felt moved to action. She began meeting folks at the bridge and driving them to and from their appointments, helping them find a place to stay if needed. Along the way, friends and other advocates began to help out, until a formal volunteer directory began.

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Today, ASSA has three coordinators and over 60 volunteers throughout the Atlantic provinces. Shannon has developed and delivered trauma-informed abortion support training coast to coast, from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia. At its core, ASSA is a grassroots, volunteer-run group. We are a collective of people who are passionate about access to reproductive healthcare.

We provide non-medical support to anyone seeking abortion care in the Atlantic provinces. This may include emotional or peer support, offering rides, gas cards, arranging for a place to stay. We might coordinate with organizations to help you find funding, arrange and pay for flights.

We do not perform clinical tasks, administer medication, or treat/diagnose symptoms. If anything is beyond our scope, we will refer you to a healthcare practitioner.