Stuck in rut on abortion demand

IRELAND has to amend its constitution to allow the right to abortion, but Tasmanian women seeking surgical abortion must still travel interstate because of the lack of local providers.

Five months after the last local provider closed its doors, the State Government has still not taken action to provide affordable access to surgical abortion for Tasmanian woman in hospitals.

Deputy Labor leader Michelle O’Byrne said the Government had been promising a solution was imminent for some time.

She said she believed the long delay reflected an internal ideological rift within the Liberal Party.

“The reality is there’s got to be another reason it’s not fixed because you could make the decision on the public hospitals today,” she said.

“That’s an easy no-brainier thing, you just say: ‘ We now provide them, here is the referral pathway, GPs if you have someone who is looking for a termination this is who you contact’.

“This is what we do with all other medical procedures.”

Primary Industries and Water Minister Sarah Court- ney said work to find a solution was imminent.

“The State Government is currently working with a provider to look at possibly setting up a low-cost abortion service within Tasmania,” she said.

“Those discussions are ongoing between the Department of Health and the provider.

“However at the moment people in Tasmania still have access to low-cost abortion with the Government subsidising transport for those people wanting that service in Victoria.

“We have more news on this in the coming weeks but I can’t pre-empt how those negotiations are going to go, but I can tell you that the department is currently in negotiations with a provider to be able to have low-cost services here in Tasmania.”

Women’s Legal Service chief executive Susan Fahey said the long delay in finding a solution was puzzling for many.

“There’s no legal impediment to abortion being provided in the state public system until an alternate provider is found,” she said.

“The lack of speed that this has been dealt with is pretty outrageous now. It really should have been dealt with. It’s really basic procedure.”