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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 9 Hansard (21 August) . . Page.. 2591 ..
MS TUCKER (continuing):
The availability of counselling, of information, is important. But let us be clear. Information, counselling and support were available without coercion before this legislation and will continue to be without it.
Western Australia has an additional informed consent provision, but it does not specify materials and it does not include signing a form or a cooling-off period. Neither South Australia nor the Northern Territory specifies additional informed consent requirements.
In South Africa there is just a provision requiring the state to promote non-mandatory, non-directive counselling before and after the termination of a pregnancy. This is an interesting model to reflect on. This does not compel particular views or particular materials.
The only other cases in ACT law that I could find which specified additional written informed consent requirements involved procedures not requested by the person who is to consent-specifically, forensic procedures such as taking blood samples and DNA testing swabs from suspects for a criminal investigation.
Victorian law spells out additional informed consent provisions for treatment of a mental illness. These situations are substantially different from the situation where a woman has herself requested an abortion. The health department can continue to publish a booklet that lists alternatives-anyone can do that-and make it broadly available.
When I went to the clinic, I collected the material that was available there. Of course a lot more is available in the library. The booklet that is enshrined in legislation has about 11 pages. It has a lot of white space in it. It gives a fairly broad cover. When you go to the clinic, you get the Reproductive Healthcare Services termination of pregnancy client information folder. You get information on possible after-effects and complications, information on intravenous sedation with local anaesthetic, termination of pregnancy information for the general practitioner, termination of pregnancy postoperative instructions, a comprehensive booklet called "How to cope successfully after an abortion" that deals with how women feel after an abortion, counselling, guilt, anger, sadness, regret. There is a pregnancy decision-making questionnaire with questions such as:
How do I feel about this pregnancy?
Was it intended?
How do I feel about continuing it?
How will I feel six months from now if I continue?
How will I feel in two years?
If I continue, what would change in my life? (Consider: finances, career, education, housing, emotional state, relationship with partner, relationship with family, relationship with friends etc.)
Am I in a position to support myself/A child?
Who can support me if I can't?
How do I feel about adoption or other alternative parenting options such as temporary care for a child by someone else?
What are the other options available?
How do I feel about relinquishing a child temporarily or permanently (adoption)?
How will I feel six months from now if I consider somebody else caring for my baby temporarily or permanently?
What are the pros and cons of adoption?
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