Most people are sick and tired of the avalanche of letters arriving in the daily mail seeking donations for various medical research charities. We agree with the aims of many, but there is a limitation on how much the average family can afford to contribute.
The destination of the " charity dollar " is widely split. We need to decide whether to fund medical research that may find a cure for many debilitating diseases or whether the money would be better spent saving those starving to death in drought stricken countries but now it seems we are about to be asked to put our hands in or pocket to fund abortion and contraceptives for those Australians who can't pay for private services.
Marie Stopes Australia is the only supplier of medical abortion in this country and they have now attained tax deductable status on the donations they received. They are seeking " brave philanthropists " to bankroll a three million dollar fund to provide both abortions and contraceptives to those Australians unable to afford them.
The average cost of a medical termination in Australia runs to five hundred dollars, and this is unaffordable to many in the lower social order. In addition, those from rural locations must find travel and accommodation money to access whatever services are available. There are long waiting times for those seeking long acting reversible contraception at hospital out patients departments.
Reproductive services in Australia's health system stirs varied emotions. The Catholic church opposes most forms of contraception and rejects abortion under any circumstances. When the " pill " became the newest form of contraception more than half a century ago it put a cheap and reliable form of contraception in the hands of the masses. To most people, the debate on contraception was over.
Abortion is an entirely different matter. Publicly funded abortion services are not available in New South Wales, Queensland, The ACT and Tasmania. Other states provide limited services and it is freely available in a few public hospitals only in Victoria.
In fact abortion is still a crime in New South Wales and is only permitted when a doctor deems that continuation of a pregnancy will harm the physical or mental health of that person. This is open to wide interpretation and consequently availability usually relies on the moral outlook of the individual doctor. It is freely available in some areas, and almost entirely missing in others.
Asking the public to donate to provide abortion services opens an old wound. Those that oppose abortion tend to do so with an almost savage intensity. A fund to pay for abortion services for the poor will be like waving a red flag in front of a bull.
Unfortunately, it seems the only way many will succeed in terminating an unwanted pregnancy. We are unlikely to see debate in our parliament to allow pregnancy termination services in the hospital system. Our cowardly politicians would run a mile before committing themselves to a public vote - and risk losing voting support in their electorates.
As the present furore over same sex marriage shows, anything to do with " sex " still stirs public emotions. Unwanted pregnancies should be a thing of the past. Modern, reliable contraception is available on prescription from most medical clinics but even the few dollars involved is beyond the reach of some people.
And for the really poor, that good old trusty condom is freely available for pennies at the local service station - and most grocery outlets !
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