Even though abortion services and advice are legal in Australia, a new study has found that access is extremely limited.
Researchers from the Monash University Department of General Practice investigated abortion referral pathways for HealthPathways, an online health information system used by GPs that outlines recommended management of common conditions and local referral options, usually to hospital services.
The study’s findings were published in the Australian Journal of Primary Health and showed that GPs in public hospitals don’t currently have adequate information to refer women to abortion services.
“Despite few remaining legal restrictions to abortion in Australia, many regions either do not have public abortion services or do not provide information about them,” said first author of the study and Monash University Academic GP Registrar Dr Sonia Srinivasan.
The review from January-June 2022 extracted abortion service referral data from the 17 of 34 HealthPathways portals that consented to be included across all states and territories except Tasmania and South Australia.
Almost half (47 per cent) had no public services listed for surgical abortion, and 35 per cent had no public services for medical abortion.
Most (63 per cent for surgical abortion, 66 per cent for medical abortion) emphasised that public services should be a last resort, directing referrers away from their abortion services and towards private providers.
Dr Srinivasan added that the study found, “variation in information regarding gestation-specific options, the time-critical nature of referrals and the importance of women’s own preference when deciding between medical and surgical abortion.”
The findings show there is little transparency as to whether abortion services will be provided by a health service and under what circumstances they will be accessible to women who request them.
For women in rural and regional areas of Australia, clear referral pathways for abortion services are especially crucial to be able to access care in a timely manner.
As a result of the study’s findings, Dr Srinivasa said: “There is an urgent need for transparency around public abortion service availability, clear guidelines to support referral pathways, and commitment from State and Federal governments to expand the availability of accessible, no-cost abortion in Australia.”