Rockhampton abortion services to commence at Rockhampton Hospital from July 11

While abortion is still legal in Queensland, the Rockhampton abortion clinics closed in August last year and locals have been fighting for a service to be reinstated in the region. Watch the video of locals celebrating on Saturday morning at a rally on the riverbank.

People power has paid off in the fight for better access to abortion services and rights in Central Queensland.

The crowd that gathered on the Rockhampton Riverbank on Saturday morning to take part in the Enough is Enough rally were the first ones to hear news that abortion services were being reinstated at the Rockhampton Hospital later this month.

Keppel MP Brittany Lauga made the announcement, rejoicing that surgical and medical terminations of pregnancies would be available at the hospital from July 11.

Ashley Walker and Bella Mitchell.

Lacey-Jae O'Halloran and Liesel Bulmel from Biloela.

Taziah Clulow and Alyssa Schafer-Scott.

Rallies have been held over the last year to bring abortion services back to the region after the Marie Stopes Abortion and Contraceptive Clinic on Bolsover Street closed in August 2021.

Ms Lauga spoke with Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service’s new chief executive Emma McCahon on Friday afternoon who shared the news.

It would be a streamlined process and there would be one phone number and one port of call for patients to go through.

“People can ring that number and get advice about what options are available to them,” she said.

Ms Lauga also said there had been due consideration in terms of pre and post care and she was pushing for more of a holistic service.

“To be able to get a termination but also access to contraception,” she said.

“Let’s look at this as not just a medical procedure but a whole framework about women’s sexual health.”

Keppel MP Brittany Lauga speaking at the Abortions Access and Right Rally on Saturday, July 2, on the Rockhampton Riverbank.

The crowd at the rally despite the rain.

Brittany Cossens, Ashleigh Saunders, Jodie Wickens and Beth Luckel

Ms Lauga thanked Ms McCahon, who was only appointed to the role at CQHHS in April.

“I am really grateful she saw this as a priority for our community, she understood what we were trying to say and what we were trying to do,” she said.

It has also been announced Gladstone would have abortion services instated but a date has been not been finalised yet.

A crowd of about 100 people took part in the rally, despite pouring rain and cool weather.

Ashleigh Saunders, coordinator of women’s right advocacy group, Enough is Enough, hosted the event and many attendees shared emotional stories of abortions they had had and others told passionate stories of why they were fighting for the rights.

“I’m overwhelmed with how many turned out in the rain, in the cold, because this is an issue that matters to them,” Ms Lauga said.

“It’s wonderful to see so many men here who are supporting us in this campaign.

“To have 100 people come out to stand together and send a message is really heartwarming.”

Abortion was forefront of mind with the news coming out of America in the past week with the overturned landmark Roe V Wade abortion ruling.

While abortion has been legal in Queensland since 2018, the Central Queensland fight was about access to the abortion services.

Ms Lauga asserted that while the overturned law was in America, it does trickle down to Australia.

“It does affect us. We have had a backwards step when it comes to service provision here last year, our clinic closed,” she said.

“The Roe v Wade means that there is decades of work that has now been wasted, all of that work of trying to fight for women's equality and women’s access to healthcare … has been undone with the stroke of a pen of a Supreme Court in the US.

“The same could happen here; a change in government and the legislation changed, a clinic closed down.”

Ashleigh Saunders from the Together Union speaking about the access to abortion services in Central Queensland.

Sienna Cooke, Margie Macpherson and Emma Hunter.

A group travelled from Biloela to take part in the rally.

Speaking at the Rockhampton rally, Jade Donnollan said the news from America was concerning because Australia loved following America.

“There’s a lot of New South Wales politicians that are already gunning for this crap,” she said.

“The least we could do is come out and say we see you, we support you.”

Ms Donnollan shared a story about a friend who had a medical abortion last year.

She was medically unable to carry to term and had an abortion pill posted to her.

“It was okay. It was still frustrating, there were heaps of steps to go through and it was still $600,” she said.

“So it’s still relatively inaccessible for people living below the poverty line, which is a lot of people, especially young people.

“It’s not the worst, but we could be doing better.”

Harrison Crighton, Brooke McGinness and Mick Jones.

Harrison Crighton and Brooke McGuiness braved the rain to the rally and were armed with placards that read “abortion is healthcare” and “abortion saves lives”.

“With everything that has gone on in America, we have seen how easy it is for women‘s rights to go backwards and rights in general,” Ms McGuiness said.

“For someone who cares about children, I want them to grow up in a life that makes them feel loved and wanted and protected with all the resources people need.”

Mr Crighton said regional people had to pay enormous travel costs to access these services.

“So whilst they (abortions) might be legal in Queensland, they are regions and local access issues,” he said.

“It’s not just Rockhampton, other places within Queensland, like Longreach, they are still having to travel eight to 10 hours.

Kate Pollock, Monique Murphy, Brittany Jaques, Jordan Stanley and Ashlee Jaques.

Rockhampton’s Brittany Jaques said it was really disappointing to have the abortion services taken away in the first place, a service she said was essential to women.

“To have something that was always there and was a comfort to peopl, to be removed... (that) there’s no urgency or hesitancy to replace that service is concerning,” she said.

She welcomed the news of the services returning but said there was still more work to be done.

“There’s still barriers to people, those social stigmas and you would still be put out financially, taking time off work,” Ms Jaques said.

Ms Jaques said she would like to see sick leave for period pain or to have an abortion legislated in Australia.

“Something to break down those barriers,” she said.

Abortion until the first 22 weeks of pregnancy has been legal in Queensland since December 2018.