Canberra becomes first place in Australia to offer abortions free of charge

Canberra has become the first place in Australia to offer abortions for free in a bid to lessen “the stress and financial impact” of the “critical” service.

Canberra has become the first place in Australia to offer abortions free of charge.

The new ruling, which took effect on Thursday, makes the ACT Government’s August pledge to improve the accessibility of reproductive healthcare a reality.

Under the offering, medical abortions – which involve the use of medication to induce abortions – can be sought up until nine weeks pregnant, and can be accessed via telehealth, some GPs, and at the territory’s long-running reproductive healthcare clinic, MSI Australia.

And surgical abortions can be sought up to 16 weeks’ gestation at MSI Australia, where long-acting contraceptives will also be made available – at no added cost – to those who want them.

Canberra has become the first jurisdiction in Australia to offer free abortions. Picture: iStock

The initiative can be accessed by ACT residents with and without Medicare cards, and will cost the Government $3.6 million over four years, in a bid to improve access to affordable, accessible healthcare as part of the ACT Women’s Plan 2016-26.

ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said on Thursday the territory was “proud” to see the change take effect.

“We’re really proud that the ACT is becoming the first jurisdiction to provide people with free surgical and medical abortions for anyone who needs it, up to 16 weeks,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.

Those seeking pregnancy termination will now be able to do so, she added, “without the stress and financial impact that has so often accompanied this really critical healthcare service”.

Those seeking pregnancy termination will now be able to do so ‘without the stress and financial impact’. Picture: Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP

Speaking to the ABC, Women’s Health Matters chief executive Lauren Anthes emphatically welcomed the government initiative. But, she said, much more work is needed to ensure the service is truly accessible.

“We’ve learnt through our research how different barriers work together to make it really challenging to access what is a time-sensitive medical procedure,” Ms Anthes said.

“We also have an issue in the ACT at the moment around gestational limits, which means that women who are over 16 weeks’ gestation can’t access surgical abortions – and that is due to facility and workforce limitations.

“It means that [those patients] will still need to go to NSW, and that’s a critical problem.”