Woman at 18 weeks declined abortion

Patient told Oz only option despite process being legal at her stage

An Auckland woman who was declined an abortion when she discovered her pregnancy at 18 weeks wants to highlight the issue for other women who have unwanted pregnancies.

Erica was on the contraceptive pill when she got a positive pregnancy test at the Takapuna Family Planning Clinic on May 22.

She was not offered the option of a termination by the clinic, she said, and neither did Waitemata District Health Board after her GP referred her to North Shore Hospital.

This is the second known case of a woman being declined a second trimester abortion by Waitemata District Health Board this year.

Erica — not her real name — was 22, on minimum wage, regularly binge-drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana and without a partner.

“If I had known I was pregnant I wouldn’t have done that.”

She is due to give birth next week.

Abortion is legal in New Zealand if the foetus is under 20 weeks, but only if two certifying consultants agree that the pregnancy will seriously harm a woman’s physical or mental health. It is also allowed in cases of foetal abnormality or incest.

However, Erica claims she wasn’t asked about her mental health.

Family Planning national medical adviser Dr Christine Roke told the Herald that Erica saw a senior nurse.

On May 25, a day after Erica’s scan, the senior nurse called her to confirm the scan had identified the pregnancy as 18 weeks and one day.

“She was told that an abortion was not available in Auckland . . . at that duration and that she could seek a second trimester appointment in Melbourne, Australia.”

Abortions when the baby is between 20 and 24 weeks are legal in Australia, but Erica was unable to afford to travel across the Tasman.

Roke said mental health was for certifying consultants to assess, and not part of Family Planning’s responsibilities.

A few days later, Erica went to her GP who referred her to North Shore Hospital. A Waitemata District Health Board representative phoned Erica.

They didn’t ask about my mental health state. Erica

“I was told that no one in New Zealand would perform a termination as I was so far along,” Erica recounted.

“They didn’t ask about my mental health state or even seem to care about my current situation . . . They told me my only option was going to Australia and paying for everything myself.”

Last year, Auckland District Health Board performed 17 terminations at 18 or 19 weeks.

Erica argued that she did suffer from mental health issues and had previously experienced depression.

The Waitemata DHB said Erica’s GP did not indicate any mental health concerns and there were no indications of foetal abnormality. Erica did not see a certifying consultant.

The DHB has since updated its policy based on Erica’s experience and now women in similar situations would get the opportunity to meet a doctor, a spokesman said.

The policy stated that an abortion would not be agreed to at 18-20 weeks gestation “despite the law permitting abortion up to 20 weeks”. Auckland teen Sammie Campbell said I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do when producers of Mamma Mia! came calling.

The 19-year-old musical theatre performer will play the lead of Sophie in the Abba stage show when it returns to Auckland in March.

Campbell will be drawing on some real life experience to bring her character to life. She has been encouraged to pursue her dreams and be happy by her mother whose name, like that of Sophie’s in the musical, is also Donna.

“For me, the story is about strong women. They make their own choices. They don’t let men define them . . . They realise their own dreams, and they go after them,” said Campbell, who works at a pain clinic in Remuera.

“My mum is honestly the strongest woman I know. She has a lot in common with fictional Donna in the way she’s quite protective of me, but does it out of love. She only wants the best for me.”

Mamma Mia! has been seen by more than 60 million people and grossed $2 billion worldwide since its debut in 1999. Set to Abba’s hit songs including Super Trouper, Dancing Queen, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Take a Chance on Me, Thank You for the Music, Money, Money, Money, The Winner Takes It All and SOS, Mamma Mia! opens in Auckland on March 24. Tickets go on sale via Ticketmaster on Friday.

Meanwhile, theatre fanatic Campbell is hard at work perfecting her role as quietly spoken Sister Mary Robert for the Whoopi Goldberg hit musical Sister Act which opens in Auckland next month. — Lee Umbers