Even fewer people would support the policy if they realised the ACT is the only place in Australia that has no legislated limits on how late an abortion can take place.
Recently the Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith announced the ACT government has started fully funding abortions for any woman who lives in or near Canberra. This is a policy fail for so many women who would prefer to give birth to their child if only they had more support.
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A Guttmacher Institute study says the most common two reasons offered by women seeking an abortion were "having a baby would dramatically change my life" and "Can't afford a baby now."
A University of Queensland study found that of almost 2000 women who contacted an abortion counselling and referral service, more than 40 per cent reported exposure to violence and three in 10 had a concession or healthcare card.
Another Australian study found "Partner violence is a strong predictor of termination and other reproductive outcomes among young Australian women. Education has a protective effect. Prevention and reduction of partner violence may reduce the rate of unwanted pregnancy."
So it is clear that domestic violence and socioeconomic pressures are two key factors making pregnancy and raising a child so difficult for so many women.
But the government is not addressing these factors with its policy. It is merely providing extra dollars in the hope that abortion can address such complex problems.
The ACT government is not so worried that women are short of money, family support or may be coerced - merely that some cannot afford an abortion.
The big winner is abortion provider MSI Australia which goes from being concerned about its own financial viability to receiving a funding windfall.
The Health Directorate wants to outsource all abortions to private providers, because it says "if abortions were provided through public hospitals they would displace other elective surgery."
Why is it OK to funnel women towards abortion clinics when many would have preferred a different path?
Why is it OK to promote a solution that is cheap to the government, but very costly to so many women who would have preferred a family under better circumstances?
Why is it OK for the ACT government to fund what are described as "non-directive pregnancy counselling services" when one is run by Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT - they're the group that set up Canberra's first abortion clinic. Another is run by MSI Australia - they're the group that runs the abortion clinic. Is there a conflict of interest there?
And the government wants to have more abortions at even later stages of pregnancy.
The Health Minister wants to expand abortion clinic capabilities to provide abortions after 16 weeks, despite the fact that most Australians don't support that. Recent Australian Ipsos polling found that "59 per cent say it should be legal for any woman in the first 14 weeks ... but only 39 per cent say it should be legal for any woman in the first 20 weeks."
Even fewer people would support the policy if they realised the ACT is the only place in Australia that has no legislated limits on how late an abortion can take place. Will the Health Minister really pay for any abortion up to birth?
The objective of the policy seems to be more abortions rather than focusing on what many women may want when they have an unintended pregnancy, such as freedom from domestic violence or employment that accommodates the needs of a family.
Let me make it clear that I oppose abortion. I think taking the life of an unborn child is a human rights violation of the highest order. I don't think it is in the best interests of mothers or their unborn children. I think it is an attempt to hide rather than address complex social problems. But I also think that if a government claims it is offering a choice and that it is doing something to help women who have an unintended pregnancy, it should not focus so clearly on only one outcome - abortion.
I think everyone should agree that women should not be seeking an abortion because there are no realistic alternatives offered to them.
In order to better understand and address the problems women face, we need better statistics.
An ACT Labor government abolished the collection of abortion statistics.
Until we really understand the difficulties women face, we won't be able to offer the assistance they want.
No woman should ever be made to feel ashamed to be pregnant. No woman should ever have her employment threatened because she is pregnant. No woman should ever be left in such financial trouble that she cannot afford to continue her pregnancy. No woman should ever face domestic violence, but if that happens she should never be left to fend for herself without appropriate support, especially when she is pregnant or supporting a child.
The Health Minister has made $4.6 million available over four years for abortions - more if needed. Why not make the same financial commitment to understand why women seek abortions and how the government can offer assistance to women who would prefer to avoid abortion, give birth to their child and raise their family?
- Bev Cains is president of the ACT Right To Life Association.
