Ashleigh Saunders, Brittany Lauga join rally to bring back Rockhampton abortion service

*WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT* Despite abortion being legal in Queensland since 2018, Rockhampton women are fighting for the service to be restored locally with fears woman may take matters into their own hands.

Rachael Dixon has been a nurse for about eight years and has seen her fair share of confronting medical conditions and injuries.

But nothing compares to the devastating scenes of seeing young girls and women taking an abortion into their own hands using coat hangers and screwdrivers because safe termination wasn’t available to them.

Now she and many other women fear the same thing will become more common in the young women and girls of Rockhampton.

Abortion has been legal in Queensland for just over three years, and despite this Rockhampton’s abortion and contraceptive clinic shut down six months ago.

The Marie Stopes Abortion and Contraceptive clinic on Bolsover Street closed in August after it became “financially unviable”.

With the clinic closed, the closest available services are in Gladstone or Brisbane.

“You can’t stop abortions, you can only stop safe ones,” Ms Dixon said.

“When the clinic shut we saw an increase of girls using unsafe ways of aborting their children in the health system and it’s not ok.

“I can’t comment on this one in particular, because I haven’t been here that long, but in other parts of the state where services were shut down...women were literally using screwdrivers to insert into themselves to kill their uterus.

“That’s what happens when you don’t have safe abortion, it’s 2022 not 1952.”

Ms Dixon said unsafe abortions affected young women mentally and emotionally as well as physically.

“They could just tell their Mum or their best friend or Aunty, they come down to the clinic and no one knows about it and it’s then her choice when she tells that story,” she said.

“But she ends up in ED with a bleeding uterus and her Dad’s there, her Uncle’s there...everyone knows and then the guilt attached to doing that to yourself and not wanting that baby...it costs the government less money to pay for an abortion than it does to pay single child allowances for 18 years.”

Local woman Trish Jones had an abortion at the Marie Stopes clinic when she was 19 because she and her partner were not prepared to have a child emotionally, mentally or financially.

She and her now husband, who was her partner at the time of the abortion, now have two children and said having the abortion gave them time to mature and be ready for parenthood.

“I knew, having been raised by a single mother, the difficulties of having a child when you’re not ready because I was one of those children and I would not force any woman to go through that situation or child to be raised in that situation,” she said.

“The fact I was 19 at the time, I did not have the spare money so it (travelling elsewhere) was not an option and I had to take time off work as it was and come up with the money to get an abortion because they’re just so expensive to begin with.”

Ms Jones said it was frightening to know the service was no longer available in Rockhampton.

“I have two daughters of my own and their options, should they find themselves in a situation like that, are going to be limited and it’s frightening,” she said.

“There are women out there who not only medically need this but emotionally.”

On Wednesday Ms Dixon and Ms Jones joined a number of other local woman, including Keppel MP Brittany Lauga to rally outside the old Marie Stopes Clinic for the services to be immediately restored.

Ashleigh Saunders who is part of the local ‘Enough is Enough’ group said it was great to see so many people at the rally on short notice.

“It’s a significant mental health risk for women, it’s a significant monetary risk for woman as well,” she said.

“We have women that may be forced into unplanned pregnancies that are not safe for them to have emotionally, mentally, financially or physically.

“We understand they (CQ Health) were giving them funding from the Queensland Government, which is fantastic, but the services that are being delivered are in Gladstone unfortunately.

“We have advised that it is a risk to women in Rockhampton, Yeppoon, Gracemere and Mount Morgan where travelling to Gladstone is not a viable option.”

Keppel MP Brittany Lauga said “it was not acceptable” to see young women and children needing access to these services having to travel away to get them - so much so she is calling on her own government to take action.

“We’re calling on the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service to restore termination pregnancy services in Rockhampton in particular, whether it be at this clinic or at the hospital, we don’t really mind as long as women can access safe and affordable terminations in Rockhampton,” she said.

“This is something I have been working on for months and months lobbying the HHS and Queensland Health and the Minister to have these services restored.

“Enough is enough, pregnancy doesn’t wait and Covid in particular has made it difficult for people and we need these services restored as soon as possible.”

Ms Lauga said she and local women would continue to rally for the services to be restored.

Pregnancy termination in Queensland

Termination of pregnancy was legalised in Queensland in October 2018, after legal framework was passed in parliament on a conscious vote.

The changes came into effect in December that year.

According to Queensland Health’s website, in Queensland women who are up to 22 weeks pregnant may request a termination, for any reason, without disclosing the reason to the doctor.

A termination may be performed after 22 weeks if two medical practitioners agree that, in all circumstances, the termination should be performed.

Women under 18 can also legally have a termination without the consent of a parent or guardian if they are able to show maturity and understanding about the procedure and their decision.

Many of the state’s 16 Hospital and Health Services have referral pathways in place for termination services, with some having contractual arrangements with private or non-government organisation reproductive and sexual health services across the state, which includes funding arrangements.

Some public healthcare facilities may provide a limited number of appointments for terminations.

Priority appointments for terminations will be given to women with complex health care needs and no ability to have a termination in the private sector where most terminations are performed.

The cost of termination services and associated expenses, such as transport, are covered by Hospital and Health Services for any woman meeting financial and social hardship eligibility criteria.

A spokesperson for the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service said while the new model of care to deliver Surgical Termination of Pregnancy and Medical Termination in Gladstone had been delayed, the interim service had been managing referrals from Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast.

“A new model of care to deliver Surgical Termination of Pregnancy and Medical Termination of pregnancy in Central Queensland is expected to be offered at Gladstone Hospital from next month (March 2022),” they said.

“The introduction of the new service has been delayed due to Covid-19, but an interim service at Gladstone Hospital has been managing referrals from Central Queensland general practitioners, including Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast.

“The current model of care for Termination of Pregnancy occurs in the Early Pregnancy Assessment Service clinic, which is a medical practitioner led clinic, operating Monday to Friday.

“Women can access sexual and reproductive health services, treatment and advice through Central Queensland’s Blood Borne Viruses and Sexual Health service. Appointments are available by contacting 4932 5440 or visiting https://www.health.qld.gov.au/cq/services/sexual-health.”

A Queensland Health spokesperson said the state government remained committed to ensuring women could access safe and high-quality termination of pregnancy services no matter where they lived.

A list of termination of pregnancy providers in Queensland can be found on the Children by Choice website.

For more information on pregnancy termination in Queensland visit the Queensland Health website.