In September, abortion became legal in New South Wales when the state parliament finally removed a law banning it from state legislation. It was the last state in Australia to take that action, and it only got the required numbers after eight weeks of agonising debate.
In fact, very little has changed. Abortion has long been freely available in New South Wales because of an interpretation that it is a medical procedure that may be used to save the life of the expectant mother - and " save " has a very wide definition. Women seeking an abortion had little trouble finding a doctor providing that service, as long as they lived in a city or a major country town.
There were many complaints that abortion was really a " postcode lottery ". Abortion provision or even referral was at the option of individual doctors and many refused because of religious or ethical reasons. It was often necessary for a woman living in a country area to undertake expensive travel and overnight accommodation to obtain an abortion and this imposed severe financial stress.
Abortion can take one of two forms. It can be a surgicall procedure, or it can be performed with the use of drugs and in the past a national tele-abortion service provided this service to women across the country. This Tabbot Foundation closed its doors earlier this year because of financial stress. It is being replaced by a new service titled " Abortion Online " which it is hoped will fill a very big gap.
Women in remote areas seeking an abortion will need to move quickly. This form of medical abortion using drugs is only available during the first nine weeks of pregnancy and will first require an ultra sound and a blood test. The abortion procedure then proceeds by way of two drugs. The first is Mifepristone, and the second drug taken two days later is Misoprostol. A follow-up consultation ensures that the procedure has been successful.
This telephone and online service has been welcomed by Family Planning NSW. Now that the criminal stigma has been removed from abortion it is hoped that more general practitioners will offer this service. This form of medical abortion should be readily available from a range of GP's and gynaecologists or from this new tele-abortion service.
There is an expectation that many women will choose an online abortion service in preference to attending an abortion clinic because of the harassment delivered by anti abortion fanatics who congregate outside on the footpath. The decision to have an abortion is usually a matter of private stress and that is exacerbated when entrance to a clinic is by way of a screeching bevy of harridans delivering accusations of moral sin. Areas near abortion clinics are being declared exclusion zones to limit this stress.
Medical abortion does come at a financial cost. The Abortion Online cost is usually $ 395 above the cost of the tests and the precriptions, and this is higher than the $250 charged by the former Tabbot Foundation.
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