Everyone has the right to make their own reproductive choices
INFORMATION DEVELOPED FOR ACT WOMEN
Women’s Health Matters has developed the following information resources for ACT women.
Everyone has the right to make their own reproductive choices
Abortion is a safe, simple and common medical procedure used to intentionally end a pregnancy. Sometimes, abortion is called a termination of pregnancy (TOP).
Having an abortion is your choice. The man or other person involved in the pregnancy does not need to know about the pregnancy for you to have an abortion.
In the ACT it is legal to end a pregnancy with an abortion at any gestation (gestation means the amount of time you’ve been pregnant).
ACT law states that only a doctor can carry out an abortion, with assistance from nurses and pharmacists. This means that it is illegal for someone other than a doctor to provide an abortion.
Abortion until 16 weeks gestation is available at no cost for people who live in the ACT. There are no costs even if you are an international student or on a temporary visa as you do not need to have Medicare. You can find a list of GPs and services providing free abortion for ACT residents here. There is information on costs for people who do not live in the ACT below.
There are two main types of abortion available until 16 weeks gestation. These are early medication abortion and surgical abortion. The gestation of the pregnancy and your individual health will affect your options, including the type of abortion you have and which doctor or service you can go to.
Gestation is calculated from the first day of your last menstrual period. You can calculate the approximate gestation of the pregnancy, by using the calculator here (you will need to scroll down the page). The calculator is not exact but will give you an idea of the gestation and the options you may have. Its OK if you’re not sure about when your last period was: either way, your doctor will refer you for tests to confirm the gestation.
After 16 weeks gestation, you may be able to have an abortion at Canberra Hospital. Otherwise, you will need to travel interstate to Sydney or Adelaide to access abortion. These services may not be free. We recommend contacting Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT Pregnancy Options Counselling Service for guidance on accessing services after 16 weeks gestation on 6247 3077.
There are two main types of abortion available until 16 weeks gestation. These are early medication abortion and surgical abortion.
The type of abortion someone has will depend on factors including their preference, cost, the gestation of their pregnancy and the service or practice they access an abortion from.
Early medication abortion is a safe and effective method for pregnancies up to 9 weeks (63 days) gestation. This is a non-surgical method of terminating a pregnancy using two medications (mifepristone and misoprostol) to induce an abortion. It is also referred to as a medical abortion.
Some people prefer early medication abortion because it means they can have their abortion in the privacy and comfort of their home.
Typically, an early medication abortion will involve:
Early medication abortion is low risk and success rates are up to 98%. While still very low, the complication rate is slightly higher than for surgical abortion.
For more information on abortion medication, see NPS Medicinewise.
Some GPs and MSI Australia provide early medication abortion at no cost to ACT residents. These services are listed here.
There are other GPs who provide early medication abortion, but with an associated cost (for ACT and NSW residents). You can call Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT on 6247 3077 for a list of GPs providing early medication abortion with a cost.
Surgical abortion
Surgical abortion is a safe and effective method available in an approved medical facility.
Most surgical abortions are performed using a procedure called “suction (vacuum curettage) aspiration” up to 14 weeks gestation. The procedure itself takes less than ten minutes and is carried out as a day procedure. While surgical abortion can be done under local anaesthetic (which is injected into the cervix) or general anaesthetic, it is most often performed under twilight sedation, where you are effectively asleep during the procedure. Twilight sedation has few health risks and is considered safer than a general anaesthetic.
The process happens in a single day and involves:
You will need to prepare by fasting beforehand (which means going without food). You will also be told what things you need to bring with you.
Surgical abortions after 12 to 14 weeks (or from the beginning of the second trimester) usually require a different procedure, sometimes involving two separate visits to the clinic, one for the cervix to be prepared and one for the procedure itself, altogether called “dilation and evacuation”.
Surgical abortion is available up to 16 weeks gestation at no cost to ACT residents through MSI Australia.
Gynaecology Centres Australia (Queanbeyan) also provides surgical abortion, but have an associated cost. Costs are higher for someone without a Medicare card.
For more information on the surgical abortion process, visit MSI Australia or Healthdirect.
Having an abortion, whether it is a medication abortion or a surgical abortion, is very safe.
Abortion in Australia is provided by qualified healthcare practitioners in licensed clinics, day surgeries and hospitals.
Research on the risk of complications from abortion has found the risk (2%) is lower than for other common procedures including having your wisdom teeth out (7%), having your tonsils removed (8-9%) and childbirth (29%).[1]
The risk of complications is different for different depending on the type of abortion, the gestation of the pregnancy at the time of abortion, and individual factors, but it is low for all types.[2] It’s important to talk to your doctor about the risks and any concerns you may have.
[1] Green Foster, D. (2020) The Turnaway Study, New York: Scribner.
[2] Upadhyay, U. et al. (2015) ‘Incidence of emergency department visits and complications after abortion’. Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 125(1): 175-183.
If you are not an ACT resident (including if you live in Queanbeyan and Yass)
You can still use abortion services in the ACT but they will not be free.
The cost of an abortion will depend on the gestation of the pregnancy, the type of abortion, whether you have Medicare or a Health Care Concession Card, and which clinic or service you go to. Prices vary across clinics and you may want to call different clinics to find the most cost effective option.
If you have a Medicare card, you can expect to pay approximately $300 for a medication abortion from a GP. You may also need to pay the cost of any tests and medication you need. The costs of these will be lower if you have a Health Care Card.
If you don’t have a Medicare card, you may pay approximately $500 for your appointments with a GP. You may pay approximately $500 for ultrasounds and tests, and approximately $400 for medication.
At MSI Australia, you will pay anywhere between $249 for a medication abortion by telehealth to over $2,850 for a surgical abortion over 14 weeks gestation (if you have a Health Care and Medicare card). Prices can be up to $3,850 if you do not have a Medicare card.
For an abortion over 20 weeks gestation you can pay up to $7,000 (and will need to travel interstate to Sydney or Adelaide).
These prices are up to date at the time we published this website, but may change from time to time.
Use MSI’s price cost estimate tool for an accurate and up to date estimation of your costs.
Gynaecology Centres Australia (GCA) located in Queanbeyan also provide surgical abortion up to 12 weeks gestation. You can call GCA to check their prices on 6299 5559.
It is a myth that abortion causes mental illness or long-term negative emotional impacts. Women[1] who have had an abortion are not more likely to experience mental illness than women who do not have abortions.
For some people having an abortion will be a straightforward choice. On the other hand, some people will have mixed or complicated feelings around their abortion. There is no right or wrong way to feel.
At the time of your abortion, there may be a lot of things happening in your life, you will be experiencing pregnancy hormones, bleeding or cramping, and there may be a lot involved of appointments or organisation involved in getting the abortion. Its okay to feel overwhelmed and all over the place, to feel grief, to feel relief or to feel nothing much at all.
Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT: provides free non-directive, all options pregnancy counselling services for women and gender diverse people in the ACT. They can also provide post-abortion counselling support following an abortion. You can find more information here or call 6247 3077.
[1] The answer to this question is based on research undertaken as part of the Turnaway Study. We have used the term ‘women’ to stay consistent with this research.
Protection from harassment when accessing abortion
In the ACT there are laws to keep you safe and protect you from being harassed or having your privacy invaded when accessing an abortion from a clinic. These laws create a 50m zone around an abortion clinic where no protest activity can take place.
In NSW (including Queanbeyan), there are different laws but they have a similar impact.
Abortion laws in the ACT
Accessing a safe abortion has been legal in the ACT since 2002 at any gestation.
Abortion in the ACT is governed by the Health Act 1993, which requires that:
Myths about abortion
As with a lot of issues, there are many myths about abortion. These are often put forward by individuals or groups who are anti-choice and run scare campaigns about abortion, or by people who are simply misinformed. As a result there is a lot of biased and inaccurate information out there, particularly online.
In reality we know that legal, safe abortion has very low complication rate and is a common procedure in Australia that forms part of women and gender diverse people’s reproductive health care.
Research has shown that there is no link between safe, legal abortion and future problems such as infertility, breast cancer, or long-term mental health problems.[1]
[1] Atrash H, Hogue C. (1990) ‘The effect of pregnancy termination on future reproduction’. Baillieres Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 4(2):391-405, Bhattacharya, S. et al (2012) ‘Reproductive outcomes following induced abortion: a national register-based cohort study in Scotland’, BMJ Open 2:e000911, National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC). (2009) Breast cancer risk factors: a review of the evidence. National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre, Surry Hills: NBOCC., see also Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer (2004) ‘Breast cancer and abortion: Collaborative reanalysis of data from 53 epidemiological studies, including 83 000 women with breast cancer from 16 countries’, The Lancet 363(9414): 1007-1016.
If you would like support in making a decision about a pregnancy:
Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT: provides free non-directive, non-judgemental all options pregnancy counselling for women and gender diverse people in the ACT.
Phone: 6247 3077
If you choose to have an abortion, you can call one of the providers listed here to access free abortion (if you live in the ACT). You do not need a doctor’s referral for this.
*In this resource, we use the inclusive terms women and gender diverse people.