Medical abortion in the spotlight

When a woman consents to a medical abortion she is given the Mifepristone in the abortion provider's office and told to take the Misoprostol according to instructions at home. Whilst she initially consents to this process, she can of course withdraw consent at any time before taking the Misoprostol. In this case, a woman should be provided with accurate information about the effects of Mifepristone, and informed of her alternative options.

Interestingly three of the women who have recently contacted us after seeking abortion in 2 separate abortion facilities in Victoria, all described the process as 'like being in a production line'. Not one of them felt that they had adequate counselling, and 2 denied having, or being offered counselling at all, even though they had expected to. They both felt that it was just presumed they had already decided. One woman was very surprised to find that her partner was allowed into the consulting room with her saying 'I couldn't believe they wouldn't at least want to talk to me alone, I've heard about boyfriends who pressure girls into this'.

It is time that abortion providers were held accountable for their practise in terms of ensuring women are provided with comprehensive and accurate information not only about abortion procedures, but about their alternative options. This is a fundamental expectation of any medical or surgical care. Of the dozens of women we have spoken to regarding both surgical and medical abortions, not one has recalled being screened for any external coercion, domestic violence, or been provided with information about the supports that may be available to her if she continued her pregnancy. All of the women had their abortions on the same day as their first consultation and many of them couldn't recall if they had even spoken to the doctor who actually did their procedure.

The idea that abortion is something that is decided between a woman and her doctor is misleading in the extreme. An abortion provider has usually never seen the woman before and in fact some women don't believe they even saw the doctor at all. At least some women are not being adequately counselled about their options or the adverse effects of procedures, and are then being coerced into completing abortion processes when they clearly state a desire to do otherwise.

The numbers who find and contact our organisation are likely just the tip of the iceberg, indicated as least in part by women who tell us they continued the process despite having second thoughts, but under the assumption there was no turning back. How many more simply follow the misleading information given to them by the abortion provider, or fail to find any person willing to help them when they change their minds, and their stories are not yet known?.

When will the lives and choices of women truly be held in higher regard than an abortion ideology that is clearly not serving them or meeting their needs?