Reimagining medical abortion in Australia: what do we need to do to meet women’s needs and ensure ongoing access?

Danielle Mazza
Med J Aust 2023; 218 (11): 496-498. || doi: 10.5694/mja2.51979
19 June 2023

There is much to be done to make high quality, accessible medical abortion a reality in Australia

The overturning of Roe v Wade in the United States has renewed impetus in Australia to ensure the availability of high quality, accessible abortion services. But decriminalisation and the availability of medical abortion do not in and of themselves mandate service delivery or ensure access. Numerous barriers continue to exist. These include issues such as inconsistent abortion laws, over‐regulation, lack of regional level planning and accountability for service delivery, sparse and inconsistent services across the country, inadequate numbers of skilled providers, a lack of training opportunities for the current and future workforce, and consumer concerns such as high costs and difficulty navigating services.

Continued: https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2023/218/11/reimagining-medical-abortion-australia-what-do-we-need-do-meet-womens-needs-and

South Africa: One Second-Trimester Public Abortion Facility in the Entire Eastern Cape Is Not Good Enough

1 APRIL 2022
By Sibusisiwe Ndlela, Khanyisa Mapipa and Thokozile Mtsolongo

Second-trimester abortions, which occur between the beginning of the 13th and the end of the 20th week of pregnancy, are difficult to access in the public sector. This is mainly due to the lack of designated abortion facilities and the unavailability of abortion providers to provide the service.

Based on our work in the Eastern Cape, we found that these issues prevent women from accessing a second-trimester abortion in the public health system. Out of sheer desperation, some vulnerable women carrying unwanted pregnancies may resort to unsafe and illegal abortion providers.

Continued: https://allafrica.com/stories/202204010233.html

India – Abortion bill 2020 is good, but not good enough

Abortion bill 2020 is good, but not good enough

Feb 16, 2020
Sanchita Sharma, Hindustantimes

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Amendment Bill, 2020, has got several things right. Raising the upper limit of legal abortions from 20 weeks to 24 weeks for “special categories of women”, including rape and incest survivors, other vulnerable women, and children; and completely removing the upper gestation limit for abortion in the cases of substantial foetal abnormalities will help many more seek safe and legal abortion services.

Other positive inclusions are allowing all women, and not just married ones, to legally seek abortions, and striking out the need for the opinion of a second registered practitioner for aborting pregnancies up to 20 weeks. The draft proposes that the opinion of two practitioners will now be needed only for abortions in the 20-24 weeks period.

Continued; https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/abortion-bill-2020-is-good-but-not-good-enough/story-6KVwb0oEpnK7kad12aRSoI.html

‘There is a problem here’: advocates sound alarm over abortion access in Canada

‘There is a problem here’: advocates sound alarm over abortion access in Canada

By Heather Yourex-West
June 21, 2019

WATCH: In Canada, abortions are legal but access can be difficult. As Heather Yourex-West explains, it can depend on where you live and how deep your pockets are.

It’s been a few years since a woman — whom we’ll call Joanna — made a 450 km journey across Canada for an abortion. Joanna asked to remain anonymous because she doesn’t feel safe speaking publicly about her abortion, but her ordeal, she believes, is something that needs to be shared.

Joanna was living in Fort McMurray, Alta., when she first learned she was pregnant. Right away, she says she knew she wasn’t prepared to carry the pregnancy to term.

Continued: https://globalnews.ca/news/5417539/advocates-abortion-access-canada/

Nepal: Unsafe abortion rife in Bajura

Published: October 14, 2016
by Prakash Singh, The Himalayan Times

Women in Bajura are exposed to unsafe abortion due to a dearth of trained manpower in local health facilities.

According to the Regional Health Directorate, District Public Health Office of Bajura and Kolti Primary Health Centre are the facilities authorised to carry out safe abortion. Interestingly enough, the health facilities lack trained manpower.

“As there is absolutely no one who is medically trained to conduct abortion safely, many a times we have had to turn service seekers away,” said Rohit Kumar Giri, medical officer at District Public Health Office, Bajura. He said there was not a single health facility in the district where women could seek safe abortion.

[continued at link]
Source: The Himalayan Times

14.10.2016