Page 1124 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 23 June 1992
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Prevention of unwanted pregnancies, and women's control of their own fertility and bodies, is the most desirable course for women, and here is where I would like to reiterate what Mr Wood has said. There is nothing I would like more to see - and I imagine everybody here agrees - than a reduction in the number of abortions. I do not believe that any woman takes that decision lightly. Of course, no contraceptive is 100 per cent effective. Some women have difficulty persuading their partners to use any contraceptives at all, and there are groups in our society who also attempt to persuade people not to use contraceptives.
Unwanted pregnancies are a fact of life and, as such, so is abortion. The real issue is not whether abortions will take place, because they will; the real issue is about how safe and appropriate are the conditions under which women can obtain them. Under the ACT Termination of Pregnancy Ordinance 1978 abortions are available in certain legally defined conditions, as long as they take place in a hospital operated by ACT Health, and other people have spoken about those conditions. Those hospital regulations ensure that the procurement of an abortion in the ACT is so cumbersome, time consuming and emotionally distressing that most women - we know this - are forced to travel to abortion clinics in Sydney.
Under the present system it is completely at the discretion of individual doctors whether or not a woman is allowed an abortion. It is not a question of her choice; it is a question of whether or not she is allowed by some doctor, who has no understanding at all of the ramifications of her particular situation. Perhaps it is unfair to say "no understanding"; perhaps a doctor does have an outside peripheral understanding. The system of referrals is time consuming and can add weeks to the pregnancy, with more potential for complication of the operation and, of course, more emotional stress for the woman.
Because the operation takes place in routine surgery times in hospital there is no privacy. The woman is often placed in an inappropriate part of the hospital. I have even heard of cases where a woman has been placed in a postnatal ward. There is no choice of operating procedures offered. Medical staff who disagree strongly with abortion are forced to assist with the operation, which is distressing to them, of course, and also to the patient. Support services for women in hospitals - psychological and emotional support, counselling, contraceptive advice or post-termination checks - are also not there. The sorts of important things Mr Cornwell referred to in his report are largely missing.
It is quite clear why women choose to go to Sydney. However, many cannot make the journey. What about women on low incomes or with no income of their own, or no network of support and no experience in dealing with a strange city? What about women who are trapped in violent relationships or have family or other commitments which they cannot leave? For some it may be prohibitively expensive and intimidating beyond contemplation to make that journey to Sydney. Mrs Carnell spoke about the relationship that some women have with their partners which would make it too intimidating in the first place. Those women are often forced to continue with an unwanted pregnancy and are often those who are most disadvantaged in our society.
The current situation in the ACT is not a minor inconvenience but one that can and does have tragic human consequences. Repealing the legislation as it stands means that the woman who is faced with an unwanted pregnancy makes the decision regarding her own body and her own future - not a doctor and not a
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