Kimberly Rogers - House Arrest

House Arrest

With no source of income, Rogers struggled to survive. Her landlord temporarily agreed to reduce her rent to $300 a month, community groups such as the Elizabeth Fry Society and the Social Planning Council of Greater Sudbury rallied to find food and financial assistance for her, and her doctor lobbied the government to have drug benefits which had previously been covered by welfare reinstated because Rogers was unable to pay for her prescribed medications, including antidepressants and drugs to alleviate pregnancy-related nausea.

Sean Dewart, a Toronto lawyer, launched a constitutional appeal on Rogers' behalf, successfully having Rogers' welfare suspension reversed by Justice Gloria Epstein. On 31 May, Epstein ruled that "for a member of our community carrying an unborn child to be homeless and deprived of basic sustenance is a situation that would adversely affect the public — its dignity, its human rights commitments and its health care resources."

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