WOMEN’S Health Loddon Mallee fears banning or restricting abortions will not stop people having them, but rather will force them to seek unsafe abortions.
The group acknowledged with “sincere and deep heartache” the decision to repeal the landmark Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision in the United States, which protected the rights of women to seek abortions.
Individual states can now decide whether abortion is legal, with at least 10 states banning abortions effective immediately.
WHLM chief executive Tricia Currie said the decision by the US Supreme Court was a “direct attack” on gender equity, and disproportionately affected women, people of colour, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, people living in rural and remote areas, transgender and gender-diverse people, people living with disabilities, and other marginalised groups.
“The evidence is clear that banning or restricting abortions will not stop people from having them, but rather will force them to seek unsafe abortions,” she warned.
“While Australia has laws that provide legal and safe access to abortions, there remains concerning barriers to equitable access across the country.
“Despite abortion being a critical health care service, both surgical and medical abortions incur a considerable out-of-pocket expense which disproportionately impacts people from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
“People in regional and remote communities are often unable to access conveniently located services and need to travel long distances on short notice to access abortion.
“This incurs additional costs that may be unaffordable and induce economic strain on households and individuals.
“Many women and people with a uterus on migrant and international student visas are ineligible for Medicare and therefore cannot access subsidised services.
“State-specific abortion legislation including varied gestational maximums, inability to access timely ultrasound, and anti-abortion attitudes and stigma not only present barriers to accessing abortion but make it difficult for individuals to comprehend reproductive laws and the services available to them, particularly for those living in rural and regional areas.”
Ms Currie said society must always be concerned that abortion was seen to be part of comprehensive women’s health care and a human right.
“In solidarity with our colleagues at Children by Choice and Women’s Health Services across Victoria, WHLM will continue to advocate for the reproductive rights and bodily autonomy of all women and people with a uterus in the US and worldwide, as is a fundamental basic human right,” she said.
“At the same time, WHLM call on state, territory and federal governments in Australia to expand the provision of affordable abortion for all women and people with a uterus and acknowledge that these laws must be protected.”
