Rising number of late term abortions 'vital' to healthcare

Over the past 10 years, the number of late-term abortions in Queensland have more than doubled. 

Over the past 10 years, the number of late-term abortions in Queensland have more than doubled. 

Queensland's leading women's hospital is calling for greater access to late-term abortions as new research reveals terminations after 20 weeks were critical to equitable reproductive health care.

The number of women accessing late-term abortions has risen significantly over the past decade due to medical advancements in the detection of neurological or genetic abnormalities, according to research conducted by The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.

The number of late terminations (after 20 weeks gestation) in Queensland more than doubled from 20 in 2010 to 54 in 2020, with 305 being conducted over the decade.

The research also reveals the annual number of late terminations declined between 2010 and 2014 due “feared prosecution for terminating pregnancies following a 2009 criminal prosecution for termination of pregnancy in Queensland”.

Queensland law requires two specialists to review and support any request for late-term abortions before it is undertaken. Sailesh Kumar, the author of the study, said it was critical they become more accessible.

Kumar reported that advances in prenatal imaging and genomics meant that women could now be given much more information about their foetuses and can make more informed decisions about late termination.

"It is vital that access to late termination is equitable and not restricted by any perceived fear of prosecution among medical practitioners,” he wrote.

“Equity of access to late termination of pregnancy has been restricted during the Covid-19 pandemic, and this situation may persist in the face of further infection, economic, conflict, and policy challenges.

“It is incumbent upon health care providers and legislators to ensure that the infrastructure for termination of pregnancy care in Australia is secure."

The most frequent fetal indications for late termination were neurological abnormalities (36% of the 305), aneuploidy or genetic syndromes (22% of the 305), and cardiac malformations (19% of the 305).

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