By Anastasia Krivenkova -
Snapshot
- Safe and affordable access to abortion services is not as readily available across Australia as might reasonably be expected.
- New South Wales and Queensland remain the only two Australian jurisdictions that have not decriminalised abortion in some form.
- Two Bills dealing with access to reproductive services are due to be considered by the NSW Parliament, reigniting the debate about whether access to abortion should be treated as a moral issue or a public health issue.
Every day around the world, approximately 830 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. The World Health Organization recognises that access to safe, legal abortion is a fundamental right of women, irrespective of where they live (see: www.who.int/). Yet safe and affordable access to abortion services is not as readily available across Australia as might reasonably be expected. In fact, access to and information about abortion services varies greatly across Australian jurisdictions, which can significantly impede women seeking services to assist in managing their reproductive and sexual health. More concerning is that where abortion and reproductive services are available, women and staff are often subjected to intimidating and abusive behaviour of anti-abortion protestors outside abortion clinics.
