Fears for domestic violence victims after Marie Stopes announces plan to close Southport abortion, vasectomy clinic

The only clinic offering surgical abortions on the Gold Coast has made the shock announcement that it is being forced to shut its doors.

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THE only clinic on the Gold Coast offering surgical abortions has announced it will shut its doors from the end of July due to rising costs.

It’s prompted concerns for domestic violence victims who will now have to travel to Brisbane or northern New South Wales for the procedure.

Australia’s largest abortion and vasectomy provider Marie Stopes announced it would close four regional clinics, including one in Southport.

“Costs continue to rise and as such our regional clinics have been functioning below the capacity required to sustain their fixed financial outgoings for some time,” Marie Stopes said in a statement.

The service provider said the decision to close the clinics was “difficult” and “not made lightly”.

“We have exhausted all possible options and extended our tenure for as long as we could,” they said.

Elizabeth Smith at a protest about women's health and access to abortion services. Picture: Mathew Farrell.

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The Southport clinic is one of only six offering abortion services for the Gold Coast and northern NSW, and the only one to provide abortions up to 16 weeks.

The only other clinic offering surgical abortions is Options Clinic in Tweed Heads, which will only perform the procedure up to 14 weeks.

The other four clinics only provide “medication abortions” – where a person takes a pill to terminate pregnancy – up to nine weeks.

Pro-choice said they fear domestic violence sufferers and other marginalised groups across the city will be badly affected by the closure.

Children by Choice CEO Daile Kelleher said: “We know they quite often partnered with Gold Coast hospitals to provide services to people who couldn’t afford it.

“Our main concern is people who will be impacted by the lack of access to these surgical services, which might mean having to travel to Brisbane.

“We know people experiencing domestic violence, coercive control or reproductive coercion often don’t have control over medical appointments, finances and have childcare responsibilities.

“The idea of having to travel to Brisbane and leave those responsibilities without their partner knowing might be challenging and create barriers for people that are already marginalised and disadvantaged.”

The Queensland government voted to decriminalise abortion up to 22 weeks in late 2018.

Gaven Labor MP Meaghan Scanlon said she would “continue to advocate for the rights of women on the Gold Coast”.

Queensland MPs during the abortion vote at Parliament House. (AAP Image/Steve Pohlner)

“For many years the Marie Stopes clinic provided an important service to women on the Gold Coast,” she said.

“I’ve made my view clear on the importance of access to safe abortion services.”

Ms Kelleher called on the state government to support the sector after the “significant loss”.

“This really shows us we need to have a stronger public system that can support publicly available abortions,” she said.

“Ultimately we’d like to see a real commitment from the government that abortion is healthcare, it’s been decriminalised.

“The government needs to make a commitment that anyone who wants to access abortion should be able to, within the public system and within their own community.”

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