Beyond disbelief.

I was pretty shocked when I found out that medical termination of pregnancy is not available in the Northern Territory. Given that it is legal to terminate a pregnancy in Australia, I made the assumption that all women in Australia have equal access to reproductive health services. I was incorrect. But why is medical termination available in every State in Australia but not the Northern Territory?

The outdated Northern Territory Medical Services Act dictates the suitability of who can have a termination, where it is undertaken and how it is performed. The Act does not permit medical termination of pregnancy in the NT.  This means that if I needed a termination, my only option is to have an operation in the hospital, rather than swallow a pill. If I had a choice, I would choose the non-invasive method without a doubt. However I, like all the other women living in the NT, don’t have a choice.

The Act requires appropriate revisions that are aligned with the health needs of women in 2015 and beyond. This includes making amendments to broaden access to the drug RU486 for medical termination of pregnancy.

Women in the Northern Territory already face numerous barriers to health care due to the remoteness of our location. So why is there yet another barrier placed on our health? This isn’t acceptable. Let’s encourage our politicians to revise the NT Medical Services Act and make medical termination of pregnancy accessible to women in the NT. #OnHerTerms

 

Karen Hobday, August 2015