Media and News

Settlement Guide: How to access abortion services in Australia 
SBS, 24 January 2023
"Abortion is an essential healthcare service in Australia. Women have access to termination options early in the pregnancy, but navigating choices to suit personal circumstances isn’t always straightforward..." Read more.
Available in community languages: Arabic, Bangla, Chinese, Estonian, Indonesian, Khmer, Korean, Kurdish, Malayalam, Mongolian, Nepali, Persian, Portuguese, Pashto, Tamil, Thai, Tibetan, Urdu, Dari.

Abortion a pain point for region, says GP Amanda Cohn, as RACGP submits to senate inquiry
The Border Mail, 29 December 2022
"Inadequate health services in NSW are forcing patients into Victoria, says an Albury general practitioner, who has called on the state government to "catch up" to conditions across the river..." Read more.

Male contraceptive being trialled in Melbourne dubbed a game changer by researchers
ABC News, 11 November 2022
"A Melbourne hospital is trialling what it says is the world's first injectable male contraceptive..." Read more.

Abortion is healthcare, not moral issue. Patient safety depends on healthcare privacy
The Mirage, 10 November 2022
"Recent news that Medibank customers’ private data, including their use of abortion services, has been published on the dark web by hackers risks the safety of abortion patients..." Read more.

“I instantly went into a panic”: women in regional areas struggle to get access to abortions
The City Journal, 21 August 2022
"Abortion may be legal in Australia, but many women cannot count on accessing it. Melissa Lewis, 32, knew from “the second I found out I was pregnant”, that she would be getting an abortion. Already a mother of three children, the youngest only recently turning one, and on contraception, the pregnancy was a surprise. The decision to get an abortion was a “a very easy, no brainer decision”. Accessing an abortion, however, was not as easy..." Read more.

New global study compares Australia’s support for abortion
The Herald Sun, 17 August 2022
"Australia’s support for abortion has come under a spotlight following the recent roll back of Roe vs Wade in the US, but what do we really think about the controversial procedure? Australian adults have voiced strong support for abortion, well above the global average, according new Ipsos global survey..." Read more.

Victorian abortion sector statement on Roe v. Wade
Women's Health Victoria Media Release, 27 June 2022
"Abortion in Australia is legal, and must remain accessible.There is no place for misinformation and stigma in healthcare. The Victorian abortion sector is extremely concerned to see the news that landmark abortion access legislation in America, known as Roe v. Wade, has been overturned..." Read more. 

Australia’s politicians must commit to upholding abortion rights
Women's Agenda, 10 May 2022
"Looking at the alarming situation in the US highlights just why we must keep abortion and reproductive rights on the national policy agenda and public discourse here in Australia..." Read more. 

Planning Ahead
The House of Wellness, Summer 2022
"There are many options when it comes to contraception. We ask the experts to explain the different categories to help you make informed choices about birth control..." Read more. 

Dial 1800 My Options for Your Sexual Health Concerns
Meld Magazine, 24 September 2021
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing phone calls from international students to sexual and reproductive health services have revealed a persisting lack of sexual education within the international student community...." Read more. 

Home schooling, job loss, pandemic fear drove quadrupling of abortion calls
The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 October 2021
"Job losses and home schooling pressure helped drive a quadrupling of calls for abortion counselling early in the pandemic, including three times more calls from women over 18 weeks pregnant..." Read more. 

Changes in women’s health service seeking behaviours and the impact of telehealth during COVID-19: Insights from the 1800MyOptions service
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 16 October 2021
"The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased demand for pregnancy options counselling, more women presenting at later gestation and increased referrals for telehealth early medical abortions..." Read more. 

Better sexual and reproductive health - just a phone call away
Prevention Victoria, 5 July 2021
"1800 My Options was launched in March 2018, as part of a Victorian government strategy to reduce the barriers affecting women's access to sexual and reproductive health services, including knowledge, cost, and travel...." Read more. 

Breanna had two kids by 19. Expecting her fourth, she wants sex ed for regional youth
The Age, 20 June 2021
"By the age of 19, Breanna Macfarlane had two children she had not planned and had left a high school in north-western Victoria where she says she and her peers received near zero education on sex, consent, contraception or reproductive health..." Read more. 

What students need to know about sexual health
Study Melbourne, September 2020
"To answer common questions that international students have about sexual health, Study Melbourne Ambassador Darren Lee spoke with Carolyn Mogharbel..." Read more.

Be Proud of Your Choices - Empowering young people in rural Victoria
University of Melbourne, 31 August 2020
"Consultations with young people have been key to creating a campaign addressing the sexual health issues of young people in rural Victoria wanting to know more about privacy and confidentiality, STI tests, contraception, pregnancy options and abortion..." Read more.

There are fears coronavirus is stopping Australia's migrant women from accessing abortions
SBS News, 26 April 2020
"Financial hardship caused by COVID-19 is impacting women across the country, particularly migrants who do not qualify for welfare support. Health providers fear it may impact those seeking an abortion and may even encourage unsafe terminations...." Read more.

Doctors Can Already Turn Away Women Seeking Contraception Or An Abortion. So What Will Australia's Religious Discrimination Bill Do?
BuzzFeed News, 6 February 2020
"Doctors in Australia can already object on religious grounds to providing contraception and abortion. In fact, several doctors have signs in their offices outlining that they will not see patients about contraception, abortion, sterilisation or in-vitro fertilisation..." Read more.

The only sexual health clinic in Victoria that's free for all is so busy, people are being turned away
ABC News, 12 October 2019
"Victoria has just one free, government-funded sexual health clinic that anyone can drop into — for a population of more than six million people..." Read more.

Experts warn proposed Religious Discrimination Bill could hurt those trying to access reproductive healthcare
Fair Agenda, 10 October 2019
"Women’s groups and legal experts have warned that provisions in the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill will increase barriers to reproductive healthcare access..." Read more.

What are the laws on abortion in Australia?
The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 August 2019
"The laws on abortion vary by state. Which one is the most progressive and where is abortion still a crime?..." Read more.

We Might Be Getting A National Abortion Hotline. This State Is Successfully Running Its Own
BuzzFeed News, 15 May 2019
"A woman with an unwanted pregnancy to a violent partner, who doesn’t have enough money to pay a private provider for a surgical abortion; a woman whose period is two weeks late..." Read more.

When Women's Rights Collide With Doctors
University of Melbourne: Health & Wellbeing, 31 January 2019
"Victorian doctors have the right to conscientiously object if a woman comes to them seeking an abortion – but some are interpreting this as the right to obstruct..." Read more.

Some Vic doctors breaking the law re abortion
Hospital Health, 31 January 2019
"A new study has found that a number of Victorian doctors who conscientiously object to abortion could be breaking the law, due to not referring their patients onto another health professional who doesn’t object..." Read more.

New phone service for women to get confidential health advice
The Herald Sun (republished by Sexual Health Victoria), 8 May 2018
"The state government will today launch the 1800 My Options helpline offering women information on contraception, where to get an abortion, counselling and other services..." Read more.