Australia – Getting an abortion just got harder, thanks to the coronavirus. Here’s what we can do better

Getting an abortion just got harder, thanks to the coronavirus. Here’s what we can do better

May 11, 2020
Erica Millar, Lecturer, La Trobe University

The COVID-19 crisis has starkly revealed the patchy and precarious provision of abortion in Australia, deepening existing inequalities in access.

What was already an expensive procedure may be even less attainable for many women facing financial strain during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, a shortage of staff and resources is likely to be affecting access for many women seeking an abortion – particularly those in regional and rural areas.

Continued: https://theconversation.com/getting-an-abortion-just-got-harder-thanks-to-the-coronavirus-heres-what-we-can-do-better-138110

11.05.2020

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A Supplier Refused To Fill A Face Mask Order For An Australian Abortion Provider Because They’re For “Health Professionals”

A Supplier Refused To Fill A Face Mask Order For An Australian Abortion Provider Because They're For "Health Professionals"
Exclusive: Marie Stopes Australia says it only has two weeks worth of face masks left as orders are cancelled in the coronavirus pandemic.

Posted on April 6, 2020,
Gina Rushton, BuzzFeed News Reporter, Australia

Australia's largest abortion provider says its supply of face masks and hand sanitiser for carrying out surgical abortions will only last two more weeks after a number of orders from private personal protective equipment (PPE) providers were cancelled or refused in the coronavirus pandemic.

In one instance, a private company cancelled an order from Marie Stopes Australia (MSA) on the basis it was reserving supplies for "health professionals".

Continued: https://www.buzzfeed.com/ginarushton/face-masks-running-low-abortion-marie-stopes-australia

Victorian doctors who object to abortion ‘attempting to delay or deny access’

Victorian doctors who object to abortion 'attempting to delay or deny access'
Study reveals failure of legal protections to ensure women’s access to terminations

Melissa Davey
Thu 31 Jan 2019

Victorian doctors who conscientiously object to abortion are breaking the law by failing to refer women on to practitioners who will perform the procedure, leading to some women having abortions later than necessary or having the baby despite wanting a termination.

This was the finding from a study led by associate professor Louise Keogh at the University of Melbourne, who examined whether mandatory referral, introduced in Victoria during abortion law reforms in 2008, was making healthcare more accessible to women.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/31/victorian-doctors-who-object-to-abortion-attempting-to-delay-or-deny-access

Australia – Birth control pills should be available over the counter, advocates say

Birth control pills should be available over the counter, advocates say
But Australian doctors group says plan for easier access to contraceptives raises ‘red flags’

Melissa Davey
Mon 22 Oct 2018

Women’s health and equality groups are at odds with the peak body for doctors as to whether the contraceptive pill should be made available in Australia over the counter.

It follows a commitment by Victoria’s opposition to make the contraceptive pill available over-the-counter from pharmacists if the coalition is elected in November. Under the plan, women would be required to visit their doctor in the first instance but able to obtain future courses of the pill from a pharmacist.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/oct/22/birth-control-pills-should-be-available-over-the-counter-advocates-say

Australia – Why abortion should not be a crime

Why abortion should not be a crime

By Philip Goldstone
27 September 2018

As a doctor who has worked in the field of reproductive healthcare for many years, I could list so many evidence-based and peer-researched studies and reasons on why abortion should be decriminalised. But the most profound and overriding reason for me is to end the shame and stigma that we heap onto women accessing this health service each and every day.

Shame and stigma is something that I am familiar with; I have worked in the mental health sector and I have worked in the women’s health sector. Both of these areas share the dark burden of shame and stigma. And as a doctor I have seen what happens when that shame and stigma becomes too much. It results in crippling guilt, psychological trauma and sometimes self-harm.

Continued: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/why-abortion-should-not-be-a-crime-20180926-p50665.html

Australia – The big myth about abortion

The big myth about abortion

Rebecca Sullivan
14th Aug 2018

TEENAGE girls are often stereotyped as the female demographic most likely to have an abortion, but new data and health experts say it's actually middle-aged mothers who make up the majority of terminations.

According to data from family planning organisation Marie Stopes Australia, women aged 36-40 had 3100 terminations a year, on average, compared to 2900 for those aged 16-20. Women aged 41-45 had 1200 a year and there were less than 100 for women aged 46 and over.

Continued: https://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/news/the-big-myth-about-abortion-its-not-teenagers-but-/3493303/

14.08.2018

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Proposed Queensland abortion laws will improve access for regional and remote women, pro-choice advocates say

Proposed Queensland abortion laws will improve access for regional and remote women, pro-choice advocates say

ABC Capricornia
By Megan Hendry and Amy McCosker
July 25, 2018

Pro-choice advocates have thrown their support behind proposed changes to Queensland's abortion laws, saying it will give women in regional and remote areas better access to services.

Women in a large parts of north and west Queensland have limited access to abortion services and have been forced to travel vast distances to Rockhampton, Townsville or even interstate, according to not-for-profit abortion service provider, Marie Stopes Australia.

Continued: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-26/abortion-laws-will-improve-access-for-regional-and-remote-women/10004142

Tasmanian doctors fear Government reprisal if they speak out on abortion constraints

Tasmanian doctors fear Government reprisal if they speak out on abortion constraints

By Felicity Ogilvie
Tue June 12, 2018

An ABC investigation has encountered a culture of secrecy and fear surrounding the provision of surgical abortions in Tasmania.

While debate around providing surgical abortions in public hospitals unfolds in State Parliament, the medical community is doing what it can to make those services available now.

The closure of Tasmania's only abortion clinic in Hobart at the end of last year left women with limited options for getting surgical abortions.

Continued: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-13/abortion-figures-revealed-at-royal-hobart-hospital/9862034

Is abortion legal in Australia? It’s complicated

Is abortion legal in Australia? It's complicated

By health reporter Olivia Willis
May 25, 2018

Ireland has just voted on whether to lift the country's controversial ban on abortion.

But in Australia, whether or not abortion is legal depends on where you live — as does the cost and availability of the procedure.

And that's because abortion laws are made by state and territory governments, not the Federal Government.

Continued: http://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2018-05-26/is-abortion-legal-in-australia/9795188

Abortion rally at Tasmanian parliament ups pressure on Hodgman Liberal Government

Abortion rally at Tasmanian parliament ups pressure on Hodgman Liberal Government

By Rhiannon Shine
April 28, 2018

Pressure is mounting on the State Government to improve access to surgical abortions in Tasmania, with about 200 people rallying in Hobart on Saturday to call for change.

Among the women who tearfully shared personal experiences with pregnancy termination at the Not Ovary-Acting rally on Parliament lawns was Hobart alderman Helen Burnet.

Continued: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-28/abortion-rally-at-parliament-ups-pressure-on-state-government/9707190

28.04.2018