Abortion Autonomy and Justice
Abortion, and our ability to access timely, affordable and judgement-free abortion, is one of those issues that comes in and out of the public conscious. It is often assumed that abortion is decriminalised and available, and so it is not something people feel the need to worry about; after all, the mess that is happening in the US around abortion seems much bigger and more dramatic.
You would be right in thinking that abortion is decriminalised across Australia. South Australia decriminalised abortion in 2021, with the laws coming into effect in 2022. The South Australian Abortion Action Coalition (saaac), of which I am a member, was established in 2015 with the goal of ‘Better Abortion Access’, and we have been advocating and working in partnership with allies, organisations and like-minded politicians to achieve this goal ever since. Many members of the Flinders community, including researchers, academics and students, are members of saaac.
It was the work of saaac, under the convenorship of co-convenors Barbara Baird and Brigid Coombe, that saw abortion decriminalised in SA. This was a long-fought for achievement. But achieving decriminalisation alone has not solved the problem of access, especially in rural and remote communities.
Across Australia, including here in South Australia, people who need abortions cannot always easily access them. While we have amazing service providers in some areas, those living in regional and remote areas often lack easy access to abortion services. People who need access to abortion will sometimes travel many hours to a service provider. Meaning people will have to firstly, find a doctor or service provider who is willing and able to provide that care, and secondly, coordinate travel, childcare and leave from work.
“When abortion is hard to access, stigmatised, or something we just don’t talk about, we impede the progress for justice and equity for all of us.”
Improving and advocating for better service provision across SA and Australia is a primary, and deep-felt, concern of saaac, and of abortion activists across the country. The improvement of the availability of these services is a structural issue; the lack of attention to service provision indicates that abortion is still often viewed by states as an issue for individuals.
I believe abortion is an issue of community care, and that responsibility for providing abortion access should sit with governments and health departments, as other forms of reproductive healthcare do.
But the story of better abortion access is not just about improving access for all abortion seekers. Just last year, here in SA, a bill was introduced to the parliament that sought to force pregnant people seeking abortions later in pregnancy to give birth and place the child for adoption. Similar bills have been put forward in other jurisdictions in Australia. This bill did not consider that abortion care, no matter the gestation, is always provided with compassion for the person and their families. It did not consider the multifaceted ways in which people seeking abortions make their decisions.
Instead, it framed abortion seekers, once again, as deviant. I would urge you to pay attention to these kinds of legislative attempts to erode access to abortion. While the bill was defeated (by 1 vote!) it opened the opportunity for people who are anti-abortion to construct abortion seekers and abortion providers as not acting with the interests of the pregnant person and their family in mind. Abortion providers are healthcare professionals. Abortion seekers are people seeking health care, who should be able to make decisions about their bodies and their pregnancies with the help and care of their families and medical team.
Abortion is part of all our lives. Whether it is something you have accessed or not, I can guarantee that we all have a friend, a neighbour, a partner, or a family member who has an abortion experience. Perhaps you’ve supported someone in their abortion journey. Perhaps you’re one of the one in three who has accessed one.
Abortion is a key component of any social justice fight or framework. Access to abortion allows people with uteruses and their families plan and manage their lives. Access to abortion allows people to go on with their lives if they are not ready to parent. It should be easy and free and available because it is a part of life. When abortion is hard to access, stigmatised, or something we just don’t talk about, we to impede the progress for justice and equity for all of us. Abortion care is health care.