A new report released this week by Women’s Health Victoria has revealed major ongoing inequities in abortion and contraception access across the state, painting a stark picture of the barriers faced by women in Victoria – particularly regional areas.
The Realising Access report provides, for the first time, data showing that people from disadvantaged communities in Victoria are more likely to seek abortions after nine weeks, which ‘drastically narrows’ their healthcare options. As noted in the report itself, criminalisation, stigma and shame have impeded access to reliable population level data relating to abortion access across the state.
The report is based on analysis of de-identified data from over 30,000 calls to Women Health Victoria’s 1800 My Options phoneline from 2018–2023, and its map of over 700 registered sexual and reproductive health providers, alongside indicators from the Victorian Women’s Health Atlas and population data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The report demonstrates how the “postcode lottery” of sexual and reproductive health access continues across the state, and that access is highly inequitable. When analysing how likely people are to seek abortion services at over nine weeks gestation, the report found that those those living in what is considered to be ‘high disadvantaged’ regional areas are 300% more likely to face barriers to abortion and contraception than those living in ‘low disadvantage’ metropolitan areas.
The report has found that with medication abortion only available up to nine weeks, those people seeking surgical abortion are left with fewer options, “given surgical abortion providers are concentrated in metropolitan areas and often have strict access criteria.” While access to medication abortion increased between 2017 – 2022, the report found that it remains limited; in mid-2023 only 17% of GPs were providing this service and only 19% of pharmacists were dispensing medication.
Barriers to access also extended to contraceptives, including hormonal implant and IUD insertions, with the report finding that MBS (Medicare Benefits Schedule) claims for these contraceptives were ‘significantly higher’ in regional and rural areas, compared with metropolitan areas.
“It is unacceptable that the most disadvantaged and marginalised communities have such limited options when it comes to accessing contraception and abortion,” says Sally Hasler, CEO of Women’s Health Victoria. “It’s not a coincidence that these are the same areas where we see an increased demand for abortion over nine weeks – the lack of choice that women from under-served communities have starts with their access to contraception and goes all the way through to their right to choose if, when and how to have an abortion.”
When reading the report, one thing becomes clear: while Victoria continues to be a leader in abortion access, there is still a long way to go, and barriers remain that need to be addressed.
“Amidst broader threats to reproductive rights, Victoria remains a leader in abortion access, but we must never become complacent,” says Hasler. “We must build a resilient and robust sexual and reproductive healthcare system that ensures access for all – regardless of where they live or their socioeconomic background.”