and ain't I a woman: Abortion access for all women
Many believe the myth that abortion is easily accessible to all women in Australia. It is not. For women living in rural areas, abortion is extremely expensive and disruptive. In Queensland, just three clinics outside Brisbane offer abortion services — in Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns.
The cheapest clinic of the three is the Rockhampton one, which charges $450 in excess of the Medicare rebate. The most expensive is the Cairns clinic, which charges a staggering $625 more than the rebate for the 15-minute operation. The clinics in Brisbane charge around $165 more than the rebate.
On top of the cost of an abortion, women living outside these cities must pay for travel and accommodation. Working women must take time off work. Many come from as far away as Mount Isa and Longreach.
According to Ruth Dunshea from the Queensland Alliance for Legal Abortion (QALA), "there are situations where women have proceeded with a very, very much unwanted pregnancy because they can't afford to have it terminated".
Some women, seeking to minimise the cost and inconvenience, drive long distances home straight after the operation. This is unsafe, as the women risk post-operative haemorrhage.
The situation is made worse by the legal uncertainty of abortion in Queensland. A 1986 court case, R v Bayless and Cullen, determined that abortion was legal if performed to preserve the woman's physical or mental health. This decision rests with the woman's doctor.
According to Dunshea, "because legislation is so cagey very few doctors are willing to stick their necks out and actually perform abortions. The result, especially for rural women, is that those abortions become a very expensive item".
QALA is currently campaigning to legalise abortions performed in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. Dunshea told Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly that the current laws are "an inequitable policy that the state Labor government is turning a blind eye to".
The choice when, if and how to have children should be available to all women. Without this choice, women cannot have control over their own lives, a basic human right. That is why Resistance campaigns to fully repeal all laws which restrict women's access to abortion. We demand that abortion be fully publically funded, and available in a supportive, feminist environment throughout Australia.
Dunshea acknowledged that abortion should be available at any time during a pregnancy, a stance all QALA members agree with, but argued that there is "a better chance of getting earlier termination politically accepted".
Dunshea was impressed, however, by the Socialist Alliance's support for free, legal and accessible abortion, telling GLW that that was the sort of party she would support in an election.
This is also a reason that Resistance supports the Socialist Alliance, because we think it is imperative that we continue to fight for the rights of women to control their own bodies. Resistance will continue to demand that all abortion laws be repealed, so that women have the right to control their own bodies.
BY TERRICA STRUDWICK
[The author is a member of the Rockhampton branch of the socialist youth group Resistance.]
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, February 6, 2002.
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