Page 1125 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 23 June 1992
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Board of Health committee. No referrals are necessary, no humiliation, no waiting for weeks. With the removal of the necessity to travel to Sydney, the woman does not have to rely on financial support or cover for the home, nor does she have to suffer interference by those who do not have to bear the consequences of her action.
My hope for the future is that termination will take place in a supportive, non-judgmental environment, one where confidentiality will be maintained, one that will be supported by staff who choose to work in this area, one where there can be a choice of operating procedures, one where there can be receipt of follow-up support, of counselling, of contraceptive advice, of post-termination checkups.
A good pregnancy termination service should put the physical and mental well-being of the woman first. I think it should be independently managed and staffed by people who are appropriately trained and supportive of the physical and emotional needs of women who use the service. In response to Mr Cornwell's great fear that it may turn out to be a majority of women who control it, it just so happens that 51 per cent of taxpayers in our society are women. So perhaps it is reasonable for them actually to have control of it, if you want to take an economic perspective, as I often hear you do.
Such a service should offer a holistic view on women's health needs and provide an environment in which women can make the best decisions for themselves. It should include pre- and post-termination counselling, advice on reproductive health, a choice of operating procedures and post-termination checkups. It should offer a service that is affordable to women on low incomes. These provisions might assist in reducing the trauma of abortion. The decision whether or not to continue with a pregnancy is obviously a distressing and difficult one for almost any woman. The traumas of continuing with a pregnancy one cannot afford financially, emotionally and physically are far greater than any traumas encountered through supportive, non-judgmental, safe pregnancy terminations.
In my office today a man claiming to be a Christian minister came in and sought an interview. I made time and within the first minute he told me that ten years earlier his wife had had two abortions and that now she suffered greatly. I suggest to you that the reason she was suffering greatly was the psychological pressure that people like him put on her. His whole approach was one of accusing her of murder, in the same way that he then accused me of being a murderer. If he wants to take that line, that is fine. I feel very proud to be able to support this termination of pregnancy legislation and I feel very proud to be part of ensuring that this legislation goes through.
Why is it so important to see counselling as an integral part of the abortion service? Women are encouraged to own their own decisions, and consequently there will be fewer of those emotional complications later. Women who are being coerced into an abortion have a chance to talk about their needs and their options and to make an informed choice on whether to continue with that termination or not. Future unwanted pregnancies are less likely with proper contraceptive information.
Although this Bill repeals the existing oppressive legislation, it is only the first step. Providing the service so desperately needed by so many women in the ACT in an environment which is secure, supportive and safe and which offers counselling, contraceptive advice and many other related services needed by
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