Abortion

Abortion, or termination of pregnancy, is used to describe the early ending of a pregnancy, prior to full term, by medical intervention. This procedure occurs early in a pregnancy, usually before 12 weeks, when the fetus is not capable of surviving as it is not fully developed.

Abortion is a common experience for women.

• 1 in 4 pregnancies are terminated in Australia every year.
• 1 in 3 Australian women will have an abortion in their lifetime.
• 80,000 women have abortions each year in Australia.

Women who have abortions come from different age groups, religions, cultures and educational levels. Some are married, some are single, and others have stable partners. There are also various reasons (and usually more than one reason) that women describe for deciding to have an abortion. There is no such thing as the 'typical woman' who has an abortion.

All women have a right to:

• obtain accurate and unbiased information about abortion
• make their own decision about abortion free from coercion or pressure
• access safe abortion services

Information on abortion includes:

• Abortion law reform page
• Abortion issues paper (PDF 93KB)
• Women's health information package
• Termination of pregnancy post 24 weeks: background paper
• Abortion services in Victoria
• Clearinghouse Connector - Abortion

Go to specific health issues introductory page.