ABORTION IN AUSTRALIA

One in four pregnancies terminated
From: By Clara Pirani and Patricia Karvelas
December 14, 2005

THE first national abortion figures show more than 84,000 pregnancies are terminated each year, or one in four pregnancies.

The 2003 figure shows the rate of abortion is less than the controversial figure of 100,000 used by anti-abortion Health Minister Tony Abbott.
And young women aged 20-24 have more than one abortion for every two live births, according to the figures provided by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

The report analysed the data from public and private hospitals and some private clinics.

Late-term abortions, performed after 20 weeks, were uncommon, the report found, with only 325 recorded. Almost 95 per cent were performed within the first 13 weeks of pregnancy.

Women in their early 20s were most likely to have an abortion, with 32 in every 1000 between the age of 20-24 having an abortion compared with six in every 1000 in the 40-44 age group.

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Women’s Forum Australia spokeswoman Melinda Tankard Reist said too many women underwent terminations without prior advice, accusing abortion clinics of failing to inform women about the physical and psychological risks of the procedure.
Ms Tankard Reist welcomed the Howard Government’s decision to provide Medicare funding for abortion counselling.

“There is significant evidence that women often feel rushed into a quick decision to terminate, without having fully explored other options,” she said. “Professional, objective counselling, independent of the vested interests of abortion providers, is essential.

“These figures, which are unacceptably high, point to the urgent need to address the conditions that often compel women to have terminations.”

However, Cait Calcutt, co-ordinator of pro-choice counselling service Children by Choice, said counselling should not be used to pressure women into continuing with an unwanted pregnancy.

“Counselling should not be used as a method to try and reduce the abortion rate,” Ms Calcutt said. “That’s an inappropriate and ineffective approach.”

Ms Calcutt said extra medicare funding was unnecessary. “We don’t think there needs to be a specific Medicare rebate for pregnancy counselling,” she said.

“GPs are already able to provide counselling and information within their standard consultations with women. “However, the federal Government should provide funding to organisations who will provide non-directive counselling on all options.”

Parliamentary Finance Secretary Sharman Stone said abortion statistics should not be manipulated to try to reduce women’s access to abortion.

Ms Stone said it was a “sad statistic” that so many women needed to have abortions but said the rate would be lowered only through education about sexual health and contraception.

She has warned that the Government could not set targets for the reduction of abortions.

“Statistics can be used to push any agenda anyone wants,” Ms Stone said.

“No woman wants to have an abortion,” she said. “Behind those statistics there are 84,000 women who have had a traumatic and stressful decision to make.

“We have to think about how we could have helped these women who had unwanted pregnancies to avoid coming to that crossroad in their life”.

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