The news about the overturning of Roe v Wade abortion legislation in America has shocked, angered and horrified so many of us.
We stand with abortion seekers and abortion providers across the world. We believe in the fundamental right to access safe, compassionate, accessible, legal, affordable and culturally appropriate abortion, free from stigma, harassment and discrimination.
GenWest joins community health organisations, women’s health services and hospitals signing a state-wide statement of support for abortion access.
Victoria has some of the strongest and most progressive abortion laws in Australia. However, there are still significant access barriers for abortion seekers in Victoria such as stigma, cost, location of services, lack of professional training and funding. We are reminded of how essential continuous advocacy is to maintain safe access to reproductive healthcare and to reduce the impacts of stigma and discrimination.
The statement outlines:
"Regressive abortion legislation worldwide has the potential to impact local providers and people needing services by making it harder to access services for fear of judgement and discrimination and causing stress and burnout for abortion providers. Misinformation and stigma harm women and people with uteruses, putting their health and lives at risk, and denying them their reproductive rights. The Victorian sexual and reproductive health system will continue to work to reduce the impacts of stigma and discrimination on abortion care, promoting access to services and strengthening system capacity to respond to the needs of Victorians.
We appreciate that in Victoria bipartisan political support has built and maintained human rights and public health based abortion legislation. We call upon governments and MPs across Australia to continue to commit to and invest in affordable abortion care as a vital part of mainstream health care. We stand with abortion seekers and abortion providers across the world to uphold the reproductive rights of all women and people with uteruses to access safe, affordable, legal and culturally appropriate sexual and reproductive health services free from stigma, harassment and discrimination wherever they live."
Read the full statement on Women's Health Victoria's website by clicking here.
GenWest’s CEO Dale Wakefield was quoted in a Bendigo Advertiser article 'Victorian women's health services condemn talk of overturning of Roe v Wade, call for improved access to abortion in Australia':
"The current politicisation of abortion access in the US should signal an alarm for all who believe that people have a fundamental right to access safe and high quality sexual and reproductive health care and to make decisions about their own bodies.
In 2008, Victorian women and pro-choice advocates won a 40-year battle to remove abortion from the Victorian Crimes Act.
Reflecting on this success, former Premier Joan Kirner AC noted that, when it comes to safeguarding the rights of women to make informed choices about their bodies and to access safe healthcare and support, 'you do have to be forever vigilant'.
The [overturning] of Roe V Wade in the US demonstrates how true this is and that now is the time to pay attention and to be vigilant."
