Here’s how you can help support abortion access in Australia

4 min readAug 15, 2022

Three women in denim jackets stand side by side. The two women on the outside are each holding a bunch of baby breath flowers across the middle woman’s back. — Photo by Becca Tapert on Unsplash

The decision to overthrow Roe v Wade has been a long time coming, and it is a terrible outcome for people throughout the US.

While we are never likely to face an abortion ban in Australia, there are significant access issues here. Here are some things you can do to support abortion rights in Australia.

Donate

You can donate to safe abortion funds in Australia. Read here about how to direct donations help to fight barriers to abortion access.

At the Australian Choice Fund, every dollar goes directly to a woman or pregnant person experiencing financial hardship, who wants abortion or contraception, and who otherwise could not afford it. Donations can be once-off or automated monthly. Any donation over $2 is tax deductible.

Fundraise

People host Australian Choice Fund fundraisers that bring people together (online or offline) to fundraise.

Some people host morning teas, book clubs, trivia nights, and film screenings — there are many ways to bring people together. Every dollar counts. Fundraisers and donations of any size are appreciated.

Order Choice Words

Choice Words is a collection of writing about abortion, which you can order yourself, give as a gift or ask your local library to stock it on their shelves.

Edited by Louise Swinn, Choice Words is a passionate appeal from writers, thinkers, musicians, actors, comedians, activists and political staffers, offering personal stories of abortion alongside historical records and political anecdotes.

Contributors include Jane Caro, Claudia Karvan, Laura Jean, Melissa Lucashenko, Emily Maguire, Tara June Winch, Michelle Law, Tony Birch, Melanie Cheng, Anne Summers, Gideon Haigh, Monica Dux, Bri Lee, Jenny Kee, and a Foreword by Tanya Plibersek.

You can order the book here or from other local retailers.

Research, listen, learn

Learn about being a support person: It doesn’t matter if you are the official support person for their procedure, whether you are a partner, friend, family member or an acquaintance — this guide is for anyone who wants to learn more about providing timely and empathetic emotional support.

Ask your GP if they provide abortion care: Only 1 in 10 GPs in Australia have completed the training to be a medical abortion prescriber. Even if you don’t need or may never need an abortion, you can ask your GP if they have done the training. If they have, offer them praise and gratitude! If they haven’t, you can suggest they register for the training here. It’s free.

The Abortion Access Scorecard: While abortion has been partly decriminalised throughout the country, there are disparate regulations that influence different levels of access in each state and territory. You can view a summary of State and Territory abortion laws here.

I Had One Too: an online platform to share stories about abortion and discuss how laws and public perceptions impact safe and accessible abortion services in Australia. I Had One Too is a place to connect, listen and learn.

Love Etc. Podcast: Listen to the episode ‘One in Four’. “Terminating a pregnancy is, still, a lasting taboo. And yet, despite the hushed tones and whispers that we use to discuss it with, between one in three and one in four Australian women have aborted a pregnancy. In this episode, we speak to one such woman — Pip — who is sharing her story in the hopes that it makes you feel a little less alone.” Available at Apple here or on other platforms.

The Global Health Chat podcast: Listen to episode Abortion Care in Australia where Kitty Smith, our former Sydney Nurse Unit Manager delves into the multitude of issues that surround access to abortion in Australia and the multifactorial approach that is required to begin to tackle these issues.

Australian Abortion Stories Podcast: 1 in 4 Australian women will have at least one abortion in their lifetime. This podcast is a space for Australian women and people to share their experiences. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or other platforms.

Birthing and Justice Podcast: In this raw and challenging talks series, health researcher, clinician and nursing educator Dr Ruth De Souza hosts conversations about birth, racism and cultural safety with change makers working within the maternal health-care sector to break down the structures built on colonisation. Available here.

Our Site: Our Site is by and for women, girls (aged 15 years and above), feminine identifying and non-binary people with disability. The website has a range of sexual and reproductive health content, including abortion access, led by WWDA. Visit Our Site here.

Reproductive Coercion training: Women’s Health in the North and Women’s Health Victoria presented a two-part webinar series in 2020, called Addressing reproductive coercion: Access and Equity III. These webinars, aimed at professionals working in related fields, explored the issue of reproductive coercion and the intersection of sexual and reproductive health and violence against women. Watch the webinars here.