In a shocking revelation, new research has exposed the dire state of abortion access across New South Wales (NSW), Australia. A study led by the University of Sydney has found that a mere three out of the state’s 220 public hospitals routinely provide abortion services, leaving vast swathes of NSW as effective “abortion deserts” where women face immense barriers to accessing this essential healthcare.
Vast Abortion Deserts Span NSW
The groundbreaking study, which comprehensively mapped access to both surgical and medication abortion across NSW, paints a grim picture. Shockingly, the majority of cities and towns in the state qualify as “abortion deserts” – defined as areas where the nearest abortion service is more than 160 kilometers away.
“Seeing the sheer size and magnitude of abortion deserts across such a vast expanse of NSW shocked our team,” remarked Dr. Madeleine Belfrage, a researcher from the University of Sydney. “It led us to question: why on earth are NSW public hospitals, particularly those outside urban centers, not providing this care to their rural communities?”
Women Face Daunting Journeys, High Costs
For women living in these abortion deserts, accessing this basic healthcare can be an arduous and expensive ordeal. Many are forced to travel hundreds of kilometers, requiring significant time off work, possible overnight stays, and substantial travel costs on top of the abortion procedure itself, which can exceed $775 even with Medicare.
“Luckily, we could afford to take the time off work… that time, that flexibility, that money would not be available to a lot of people in that situation,” shared the partner of one woman who had to travel to Sydney for an abortion.
Public Hospitals Fail to Provide Transparency
Compounding the access issues is a concerning lack of transparency from NSW public hospitals about their abortion services. When contacted, none of the state’s health districts or the NSW Health Minister provided clear information on which hospitals offer abortion care and under what circumstances, leaving women in the dark.
“It is completely unacceptable that there is no transparent access to information about abortion care in NSW,” asserted Prof Kirsten Black, the Sexual Reproductive Health Committee chair for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Urgent Call for Public Hospital Reform
Experts are now calling for urgent reform to ensure equitable abortion access across NSW. They argue that all public hospitals should provide this essential service, in line with World Health Organization recommendations.
“The only way to ensure that there is equitable access to termination services is to ensure there is public hospital availability across all hospitals in the state,” stressed Prof Black.
As the research lays bare the immense barriers women face, it is clear that decisive action is needed to bridge the vast abortion deserts of NSW and ensure this basic healthcare is within reach for all. The spotlight is now firmly on the state government and health system to urgently address this glaring inequity.
