Some abortion providers say they are seeing a spike in cancellations and an increase in people delaying termination services during NSW’s lockdown.
Dr Deborah Bateson is medical director at Family Planning NSW and provides abortions at their Fairfield clinic in southwest Sydney.
Dr Bateson said people were delaying essential healthcare, including abortions, because of pandemic anxieties.
“There can be a lot of confusion around rapidly changing information and health advice,” Dr Bateson said.
“We want to ensure people know they are permitted to leave home to get an abortion and that they can also receive a medical abortion via Telehealth if they are within nine weeks,” she added.
Dr Bateson said the cancellations are concerning as delaying abortions can complicate healthcare further down the track.
“By not seeing health providers early on, if they've made that decision, then they could find that if they want to have a medical abortion [later on] they are beyond the date to have it,” she said.
Bonney Corbin, head of policy at family planning organisation Marie Stopes Australia, said they are seeing how fluctuations in lockdowns are having a “direct correlation” with cancellations and people not showing up to appointments.
But Ms Corbin said “the lack of multilingual information available” has meant that often people from non-English speaking backgrounds receive “timely” health information later than native speakers.
“That's particularly difficult for migrant and refugee women... It can delay their access to care, which can increase the cost [of an abortion] but also the complexity,” she told The Feed.
For those who have to travel to access abortion care, they may also fear being questioned by police, Ms Corbin believes.
“We know that there are police checks that go on as patients come into the city to access care,” she said.
“We can give patients a letter to say they’re travelling to access an essential service but some patients feel like if they have to show that to police that it would compromise their... privacy.
“What does that look like for patients with English as a second language or any other personal safety concern?”
Another concern for Dr Bateson and Ms Corbin is the during lockdown periods.
“Reproductive coercion is a very real thing and that can mean someone's either being forced to have an abortion or denied an abortion,” Dr Bateson said.
“So it can be in both directions, and then that can also apply to contraception as well.”
A spokesperson at NSW Health told The Feed, “termination of pregnancy is healthcare and, under the current COVID-19 regulations, the provision of healthcare is a reasonable excuse to leave home.”
“Family Planning NSW works with multicultural and refugee health services to “ensure women and men of all ages, from non-English speaking backgrounds, have equal access to our reproductive and sexual health information and services,” the spokesperson said.
“Health-funded NGOs also utilise district interpreting services as appropriate.”
The spokesperson said local practitioners are often “the most appropriate early consultation point” for reproductive health care as they “are connected with their communities, often through culture and language.”
They said abortion services are available in some NSW public hospitals, “but most procedures are undertaken through accredited private providers and non-government organisations across NSW.”
Dr Bateson stressed seeking an abortion can be challenging during the pandemic and abortion providers need to be flexible in their approach.
“There’s a lot of misinformation on the internet,” she said.
“It’s about ensuring that people are confident that they've got that credible information and in language they can understand.
“It’s really important that everyone is aware that these services are available that that, you know, they're non-judgmental.”
For free and confidential information on pregnancy choices you can speak with a health professional by calling the NSW Pregnancy Choices Helpline on 1800 008 463.
Information about abortion and a list of services where you can discuss your options are available at healthdirect.gov.au/abortion.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
