March 2007

This edition of the Clearinghouse Connector profiles information resources that explore the issue of abortion.

A recent study by Marie Stopes International (see below) indicated that 51% of the 2000 women surveyed had experienced an unplanned pregnancy. While the majority of these women chose to continue the pregnancy and parent, 29% chose abortion. While there are a range of personal views on abortion, it is an essential health service, and one that should not be ignored.

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Information resources

Abortion: Issues Paper was prepared by Women’s Health Victoria and briefly outlines the current context of abortion with a particular focus on Victoria.

How many post 24 week terminations are undertaken? Why do women have them? What is their legal status? How are they regulated? What are some models of best practice? And how can we reduce the number of terminations undertaken after 24 weeks gestation? Find the answers in Termination of Pregnancy Post 24 Weeks: Background Paper.

Travel Undertaken by Women Accessing Private Victorian Pregnancy Termination Services investigates the extent of travel, the time and money spent, and reasons for choosing a certain pregnancy termination service provider.

Abortion in Australia: Public Health Perspectives outlines the Public Health Association of Australia’s policy on abortion, and contains six fact sheets covering: Facts and Figures; Community and health Practitioner Attitudes; Sexual Health Education; Contraceptive Use and Failure; Impact of Abortion in Criminal Codes; and Lessons from the Global Context of Abortion.

Marie Stopes International recently published their findings of a web survey of 2000 women. What Women Want When Faced With an Unplanned Pregnancy: Key Findings provides evidence of women's experience of unplanned pregnancy, and their desire for support at this time.

Termination of Pregnancy: A Resource for Health Professionals summarises current medical evidence and reference material about the methods of terminations of pregnancy prior to 20 weeks gestation. The resource was written by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Even though it was written for a Canadian audience, Best Practices in Abortion Care: Guidelines for British Columbia is a quality resource that covers optimum standards of care, planning and development of services, and the concept of woman-centred care in the provision of abortion services.

Latest additions to the Clearinghouse

Report on the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls

Victorian Family Violence Database: Five-Year Report 1999-2004

In-Depth Study on All Forms of Violence Against Women

Navigating Health: The Role of Health Literacy

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