The Newcastle community is calling for government action after a not-for-profit family planning and abortion clinic closed its doors this month due to regional operating costs.
Marie Stopes Australia is the only national, independently accredited abortion, vasectomy and contraception clinic and has been the largest provider of abortion services in the Hunter region.
Marie Stopes announced in June 2021 that it was forced to close some clinics due to the “impacts of COVID-19 and regional operating costs”.
Those regional clinics included three in Queensland and the Newcastle clinic in Broadmeadow.
A community petition on Change.org was created in response to the planned closure, and it has already collected more than 7000 signatures.
“Having cared for more than 600,000 Australians in the almost 20 years, they (Marie Stopes Australia) have led national sexual and reproductive health provision in this country. Thus, filling the public funding shortfall in preventative family planning services and education,” the petition says.
“The impacts of this closure to the local and surrounding areas is of detrimental proportions with many individuals now facing uncertainty around their options of family planning and termination services.
“Women should not be put into a position where they may have to make rushed decisions or will find themselves unable to travel, with later gestations or having to negotiate their circumstances around other carer responsibilities.”
The petition’s goal is to call upon NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard, Marie Stopes Australia CEO and local members to come together and discuss alternatives to closing the busy Newcastle clinic.
Health lawyer and women’s health advocate Catherine Henry said the closure would make it harder and more expensive for women to access their right to safe abortions, forcing many to travel to Sydney.
“Even in a non-COVID environment, having to fund travel and accommodation costs to have an abortion in Sydney is additional stress that a woman in this situation does not need,” Henry said.
“Those costs are on top of the cost of the procedure, which is around $500.”
Medical abortions are available during the first eight or nine weeks of pregnancy and are completed by the woman at home under the advice of a doctor.
However, surgical abortions are performed up to 14 weeks gestation by doctors with procedural skills.
Currently, Newcastle women can only access surgical abortions at private provider Gynaecology Services Australia in Broadmeadow or at John Hunter Hospital.
Henry said the difficulties in accessing surgical abortion meant women in regional areas would need medical abortions, which required more training and upskilling of regional doctors.
“At present, a lot of abortions are being done by telehealth, and this is not desirable,” she said.
“Work is being done to develop referral pathways to John Hunter Hospital, but a public hospital environment is not always the ideal environment.”
Between one quarter and one third of Australian women will experience an abortion in their lifetime.
childrenbychoice.org.au
Henry said that surveys consistently showed that 75 per cent of Australians believed abortions should be freely available.
“We spent decades trying to get abortion out of the Crimes Act and recognised it as a health issue, not a criminal issue,” she said.
“But with abortion decriminalised in NSW for almost two years, we need to ensure equitable access to services for women across the state.”
The current NSW Upper House Inquiry into health outcomes and access to health and hospital services in rural, regional and remote NSW does not include reproductive and sexual health issues in its terms of reference.
“Given the statistics and contemporary attitudes to abortion, I find it quite disturbing that access to abortion services is not being considered,” Henry said.
State Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp said in correspondence with Minister Hazzard, members of Parliament had been pushing the fact that there had been no government funding to improve abortion accessibility since it was decriminalised two years ago.
“Reproductive health is so important but often overlooked, so the loss of Marie Stopes in Newcastle is very disappointing,” Crakanthorp said.
“In the last few years, we have fought so hard to win safe access zones and to remove pregnancy termination from the criminal code to ensure that women feel safe and supported when making these decisions.
“Since the decriminalisation of pregnancy terminations two years ago, there has been little support from the NSW Government to providers of this service.”
Crakanthorp said government funding was needed to ensure equitable access as it was a woman’s right to choose and access the services they required.
Hayley McMahon