Roundup: Medical Abortion, Now an Option in Australia

Aug 10, 2009, 10:34am

Amy Dempsey

Medical Abortion, Now an Option in Australia; Family Planning in Sri Lanka; Ultrasound Law in Oklahoma

Medical Abortion, Now an Option in Australia
Medical abortion
is a hotly debate issue in Australia, whose Medical Health Minister has
not allowed any use of the drug mifepristone in the country, according
to politics.co.uk.com.

The Theurapeutic Goods Administration, which monitors the drug in
Australia, now permits it to be prescribed by medical professionals for
medical abortion during the first trimester of a pregnancy at Marie
Stopes International, a sexual and reproductive health care provider,
the article said.

The group has centers in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, the ACT and Western Australia.

Medical
abortion has been recommended by experts because it is the safest and
most effective method of terminating a pregnancy, according to the article.

"Access and choice are constant issues women face with all sexual and
reproductive healthcare services," said Jill Michelson, National
Clinical Adviser for Marie Stopes International in Australia. "Our
service will now increase the choices available to Australian women
faced with an unplanned pregnancy."
"While surgical abortion is a very safe procedure and is the preferred
choice for many women, medical methods of abortion also have a number
of advantages," said Michelson. "Our clients say that the most
important features of a medical abortion are that it is non-invasive
and private. In addition, no surgery or anaesthetic is required during
a medical abortion."

Family Planning in Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, the Health
Ministry is implementing a family planning and nutrition program to
displaced persons (most displaced persons are women) in welfare camps,
the LankaTimes reported. The main target of the program are women who are breastfeeding, or those who were married at a young age.

Under
the plan, which will start August 19, doctors have been ordered to
create awareness about family planning options to women by giving them
tubectomy operations if the request it, offering them birth control
pills and administering Depo-Provera shots, the article said.

According to the LankaTimes, the program’s spokesman said, "One of the main reasons for their poor nutritional
condition is early marriage. If they are to produce healthy babies,
they should be strong."

Ultrasound Law in Oklahoma
In
Oklahoma, the law requires that a woman who wants an abortion must get
an ultrasound prior to terminating her pregnancy. A doctor must also
describe the images of the fetus on the screen to the woman, according
to The Associated Press.

Enforcement of the law was blocked in October 2008, but is set to be enforced starting November 1.

On Tuesday, a judge is set to listen to arguments from Nova Health Systems, which is challenging the law.

OTHER NEWS TO NOTE:

August 10: Politics.co.uk: Marie Stopes International: Medical abortion: Finally an option for Australian women

August 9: SFGate: Vote could signal start of new-look GOP

August 9: Mercury News/NYTimes: Separating the basics of health policy from the bombast of partisanship

August 10: ABC News Australia:Abortion pill ‘would benefit rural women’

August 9: Reproductive Rights Prof Blog:A Call on Nicaragua to Reverse its Abortion Ban

August 9: Kansas City Star:FBI’s investigation of Tiller killing looks at Roeder’s jail visitors

August 10: LA Times:Sorting out claims about healthcare legislation

August 9: Media Matters: Gallup, abortion & the media (and why Ramesh Ponnuru owes me an apology)

August 9: Gazette.com:Republicans at a crossroads: Retrench or reach out