Following their loss in Morgentaler v New Brunswick (1989), McKenna’s Liberal government added abortions to the Reg. 84-20, Sched 2 list of services that are not covered by Medicare. The amendment read:

2.01(b) The following are deemed not to be entitled services:
(a.1) abortion, unless the abortion is performed by a specialist in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology.

This regulation codified into law the policy proposals Premier McKenna had announced after the decision in R v Morgentaler (1988).