Abortion access continues to be out of reach for disadvantaged and regional Victorians, with some having to travel hundreds of kilometres and spend thousands of dollars for care.
Barriers to abortion services are leading to more people seeking procedures after nine weeks gestation, narrowing their healthcare options, a report from Women's Health Victoria reveals.
The analysis took de-identified data from more than 30,000 calls to the organisation's 1800 My Options helpline, 725 registered sexual health providers, and statistics.
It reveals those living in high-disadvantaged metropolitan areas are 17 per cent more likely to seek abortion access at over nine weeks gestation than those living in affluent metropolitan areas.
In rural and regional areas, those in low-disadvantaged communities are 200 per cent more likely to seek abortions after nine weeks, while people in high-disadvantaged regional areas are 300 per cent.
These people are left with fewer options as medication abortion is only available up to nine weeks and surgical abortion providers are overwhelmingly concentrated in metropolitan areas.
"The 'postcode lottery' of sexual and reproductive health access is persistent, consistent and highly inequitable," the report states.
Two-thirds of local government areas across the state do not have surgical abortion providers, 19 per cent do not have abortion medication providers and 39 per cent do not have pharmacies that dispense abortion medication.
The organisation's 1800 My Options phone line has received more than 30,000 calls between March 2018 to the end of 2023, with 87 per cent seeking abortion services.
People were travelling hundreds of kilometres and then having to fork out more than $1000 to access an abortion, phone line manager Caroyln Moghabel said.
"For people who are on low incomes, or people who are struggling or experiencing disadvantage, this can mean the difference between choosing to have an abortion and not being able to access one," she said.
"The stress and distress of not being able to access this fundamental human right is very profound for a lot of people, and there are more risks for abortions associated with someone later in the pregnancy."
Financial insecurity was the number one issue for those calling the sexual and reproductive advice phone line.
"This cost-of-living crisis is impacting people's ability to exercise their reproductive rights," Ms Moghrabel said.
Women's Health Victoria chief executive Sally Hasler said the report highlighted the significant inequalities disadvantaged communities faced.
"Even though Victoria has become a leader in access to sexual and reproductive health care, we can never be complacent given there are still significant inequities in the system," she said.
Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas acknowledged abortion and contraception were essential health care.
Abortion is legal in every Australian state and territory, with Western Australia becoming the last jurisdiction to decriminalise the practice in March, but its access has come under attack in recent weeks.
In South Australia, a proposal to ban pregnancy terminations after 28 weeks was shut down by a single vote, while in Queensland, a state crossbencher announced he would introduce a bill to repeal abortion laws before walking back the proposal.
Ms Moghabel said the stigma arising from these debates would make people fearful of seeking essential medical care and could cause healthcare providers to feel less confident promoting their services.
"It's deeply disappointing that there are certain elected representatives across Australia that, given an opportunity, will put at risk hard-fought reproductive rights for women to make decisions about their bodies," Ms Hasler said.
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