When Trish Jones was 19 she opted to have an abortion, as she felt she was not "financially, mentally or emotionally" ready for a child.
Now she wants other women to have the same options she did, but in her hometown of Rockhampton choices are limited.
Ms Jones was one of dozens of women who gathered outside the region's closed abortion clinic on Wednesday, urging the state government to reinstate the service, which has been locally unavailable for more than six months.
Not-for-profit family planning organisation Marie Stopes closed clinics in Rockhampton, Townsville, Southport and Newcastle in August, citing financial pressures.
But the local state Member for Keppel, Labor's Brittany Lauga, says Rockhampton is the only area where abortion services have not been restored.
In October Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said the state was providing $230,000 in start-up funding to the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service to provide termination pregnancy services, with extra activity-based funding expected to bring it up to the $500,000 required for the service annually.
At the time the health service said it expected the procedures to begin again locally within two or three months, but that still has not happened.
Ms Lauga said women seeking a surgical termination had to travel to Gladstone or even Brisbane.
A spokesperson for the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service said surgical and medical termination services were expected to be offered at Gladstone Hospital from next month.
They said an interim service had been managing referrals from GPs, including those from Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast.
'I had that choice'
Ms Jones said being forced to travel for her termination at the age of 19 would not have been option.
"I had to take time off work as it was and come up with the money for an abortion because they're so expensive to begin with, let alone transport to Brisbane, accommodation and being uncomfortable in a hotel room in unfamiliar settings" Ms Jones said.
"I've now got two beautiful daughters in school, which I was ready to have because I had that choice."
She said she was still with her husband, who was her partner at the time of her termination.
"We are still very happy together and he's very supportive of abortions, because it gave him time to mature and for us to be ready," Ms Jones said.
'Terminations don't stop'
Registered nurse Rachael Dixon, who attended the rally, said people turned to "unsafe" methods when clinics shut.
"You can't stop abortions, you can only stop safe ones," she said.
Ms Lauga said the issue was so important she was willing to "protest" against the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service.
She the health department had cited a delay in bringing back the service due to the pandemic but she refuted that reasoning.
"[Because] pregnancy doesn't stop, terminations don't stop," Ms Lauga said.
The MP committed to protesting every week until safe healthcare was restored in the area.
