WINDSOR, Ontario (CNN) -- Despite the Canadian government's long permissive attitude toward abortion, the issue has become increasingly controversial, and some Canadian women are finding that they have to cross the border into the United States to find a doctor to perform one.

Abortions have been legal in Canada for 30 years. All laws regulating the procedure were wiped from the books in 1988, allowing hospitals and clinics to set their own policies.

Provincial health insurance will even cover all the costs of the procedure, removing the financial obstacle.

The final decision comes down to a woman and her doctor.

"They have to basically have a meeting and examination, and then, between the two of them, the decision will be reached whether to go ahead or not with this particular procedure," said Dr. Gary Ing of Windsor Regional Hospital.

Doctor's identity kept secret

But these days, the catch is to find a doctor who will perform an abortion. Three Canadian gynecologists who performed abortions have been wounded by sniper attacks since 1994, and authorities believe the attacks may be linked to two others on physicians in New York -- including the fatal shooting of Dr. Barnett Slepian last Friday.

In the border town of Windsor, near Detroit, only one hospital allows abortions and only one doctor within a 100-mile radius will perform them. The doctor's identity is being kept secret because of threats of violence by anti-abortion groups, and he may not continue to perform abortions much longer.

"What if that physician by tomorrow says 'Look, I've had enough, I'd like to pass the torch on to somebody else'? We have nobody waiting or willing to take that responsibility at this time," Ing said.

So Windsor women who can't or won't wait for the procedure are forced to cross the border into the United States, where abortions are more readily available. Their health insurance will still pay for the procedure.

Anti-abortion legislation fails

Anti-abortion activist Beryl Caves of Ontario Right to Life disavows any connection to the recent violence against doctors. She said that her group is not nearly as effective in its campaign against abortions as its counterpart in the United States.

But Janet Green-Potomski of the Windsor Women's Incentive Center disagrees. She said that Ontario Right to Life is "very influential. They have the backing of some of the more fundamentalist religious groups in the country."

Recent attempts to introduce anti-abortion legislation in Canada have failed, but some women still find that they must scramble to find access to the procedure.

Detroit Bureau Chief Ed Garsten contributed to this report.