The plan by Sexual Health Victoria (SHV) to roll out a telehealth medical abortion service, targeting women in the regional areas, is irresponsible, risking the lives of vulnerable young women.
The Victorian State Director of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL), Jasmine Yuen said, “This telehealth abortion service is greatly concerning and puts women’s lives at risk. Sending young women abortion medication via the mail, leaving them to manage it by themselves at a crucial time in their life, is incredibly irresponsible. Young, vulnerable women facing a crisis pregnancy are not medically trained, and potentially not in the right frame of mind, to handle any medical emergency if anything goes wrong. This is not health care. It is placing the life of regional young women at risk.”
Yuen continued, “Abortion for women is not only about your physical condition, but it can be a highly emotional time. For some young women, they feel under pressure to have an abortion. How can a telehealth appointment adequately assess whether the decision is made voluntarily or forced. It is irresponsible for the government to allow SHV to initiate something out of convenience without taking the holistic wellbeing of all women into consideration.
“Sexual Health Victoria’s telehealth medical abortion service means more women across the State will have easy access to unsafe abortion options that put women’s health at risk.”
The Australian Christian Lobby urges the Allan Government and SHV to reconsider their decision to commence a telehealth abortion service and stop the roll out. Young women’s lives and wellbeing are at stake.
