The abortion pill Mifegymiso  will be covered by the provincial government starting Friday

Saskatchewan had been the last province in Canada to say it would provide universal coverage.

Speaking to reporters at the Saskatchewan Legislature on Friday, health minister Jim Reiter said Mifegymiso provides a “less invasive” way of terminating a pregnancy than a surgical procedure and that it provides a “less invasive” way of terminating a pregnancy than a surgical procedure.

But the issue of abortion access didn’t factor into the ministry’s recommendation on Mifegymiso, which was the basis for his decision, he said.

“Frankly, it was accessible. It was accessible all along as far as availability, as far as getting a prescription. The issue simply was who’s going to pay for it?” said Reiter.

The NDP had been calling for this move after Manitoba made a similar announcement earlier this month.

Health critic Vicki Mowat says the opposition will continue to fight for access including finding a way to call on the provincial government to provide birth control free of charge. Mowat says doing so would help to avoid unwanted pregnancies, particularly amongst younger people.

The NDP had been calling on the government for some time to provide the abortion pill free of charge. Saskatchewan was the last jurisdiction in Canada to offer universal coverage of the drug after Manitoba announced last week that they were also moving to universal coverage for the pill.

Earlier this week Mowat said the provincial government had “no choice” but to fully cover the cost of the drug.