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Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 5. March 26 1979

The Australian Connection

The Australian Connection

With the present state of the law, it is most unlikely that Sandra would be able to obtain an abortion in New Zealand and would have to join the other 6,000 women flying to Sydney each year. Since the Wellington Abortion Trust was established 14 months ago, approx. 540 women have flown out to Australia from Wellington. Of these less than half the women with Wellington Abortion Trust assistance have been from the Large population centres of Wellington and the Hutt. The others were from outlying areas where certifying consultants and operating surgeons are non-existant or totally inaccessible. In Palmerston North 148 women rang SOS for abortion counselling between February and December of last year. Of these women only 24 were able to get abortions in New Zealand - the rest were forced to fly to Australia.

Such women are faced with raising $550 - $800 to seek legitimate health care overseas - at disturbing physical risk and expense. Some of these women are amongst the youngest who seek help and have been as young as 14. Even in Wellington where operating surgeons / certifying consultants recognise the need for abortion they are able to provide only a very limited service. The additional workload forced on them since the closing of the Auckland Medical Aid Centre means long delays before an appointment is given to discuss abortion (2-3 weeks is not uncommon). Limited operating time in the hospitals plus a refusal to terminate a pregnancy beyond the 12th week means that there is a steady stream of women who are unable to exercise their legal right to obtain an abortion in New Zealand. Fear, ignorance and the gross lack of accessibility extract a heavy toll from women in need of this important and necessary service.