Cumming School of Medicine alumna advocates for reproductive rights

Dr. Rupinder Toor, BSc'92, MD'96, a longtime advocate for women's health and reproductive rights, has taken her commitment to secure universally available free birth control to a national level.

On July 27, Project EmpowHER, a not-for-profit she founded, launched a petition with the House of Commons. The petition will accept signatures until Aug. 25, 2023. The goal is to have a federal government commitment by Sept. 26, 2023 — World Contraception Day — to a national policy that will provide free prescription birth control to Canadians.

"So far, this petition has been the only opportunity for the people of Canada to weigh in on the issue, and we hope they will send the government a strong show of support that now is the time to take action to ensure that access to birth control will always be secure in Canada," says Toor, a family physician and clinical lecturer at the Cumming School of Medicine.

Earlier this year, British Columbia announced it would provide universal contraception coverage to any B.C. resident. Citizens of Quebec are also eligible for 80-per cent coverage of their birth control. Toor believes there should be a national approach to free prescription birth control to ensure all Canadians have equal, consistent access to contraception. 

"Reproductive rights are human rights and cannot be left to the whim of changing provincial governments; they must be protected on a federal level," says Toor.

In a TEDx Talk, Toor describes the positive impact of reproductive choice on families and communities. She consistently asks her patients two questions to clarify their reproductive life plan: “When do you want to become pregnant?” and, “How important is it for you not to be pregnant until you are ready?” When re-framing the topic of birth control around the idea of a reproductive life plan, women feel empowered to choose for themselves if and when they get pregnant. As Toor discussed in her TEDx talk, “Reproductive liberty is a necessary step to self-actualization.”

Toor has provided unwavering support to women’s health in Calgary. She is the founder and medical director of The IUD and Women’s Clinic, a women’s clinic that provides quality health care to women. The clinic hosts a team of more than 15 female physicians and offers two clinical services: primary women’s health care and intra-uterine device (IUD) services.

Toor received the 2017 Cumming School of Medicine Alumni of Distinction Award in recognition of her outstanding service to our community and her significant and ongoing contributions to women’s health in Calgary. Her contributions have been recognized with many other accolades, including the Global Women of Vision Award, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Canadian College of Family Physicians Recognition of Excellence Award, Immigrant Services Calgary’s Immigrant of Distinction, the Calgary Board of Education’s Legacy Award, and the Outstanding Service Award from the India-Canada Association of Calgary.

Learn more about Project EmpowHER’s activities to educate and improve access for long-term birth control in Canada. It is currently recruiting youth ambassadors and other volunteers.