AFMW is a SPHERE Coalition partner and supports this position.
Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Coalition
Bulletin #20
28th June 2022
SPHERE Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Coalition statement on Roe v. Wade
The SPHERE Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Coalition strongly supports the provision of abortion as an essential health service and integral component of reproductive health care and rights. We stand in solidarity with US health care professionals who provide abortion care and work to protect safe, compassionate access to abortion services.
The evidence is clear. Banning or restricting abortions will not stop women from having abortions, but will rather force women to seek unsafe abortions. Banning or restricting abortion will set back gains and global commitments to health, wellbeing, and gender equality at a high economic and societal cost. The negative impacts from the reversal of Roe v. Wade extend beyond women and include trans, non-binary and other pregnancy capable people.
We are also mindful of the situation in Australia regarding abortion health care. While all jurisdictions have legal access to abortion, availability remains highly inequitable, particularly in regional and rural areas, and abortion is not well integrated into the Australian public health system. The US Supreme Court decision has the potential to put at risk access to safe abortion care in Australia through continued and heightened stigmatisation of this essential health service.
We stand in support of Roe v. Wade and the right to choose whether and when to have children. Abortion is a health and human right. It is critical that abortion be readily accessible for all women and pregnancy capable people.
Read our full statement here.
South Australia will enact changes in legislation in relation to termination of pregnancy on July 7th 2022: Inviting SA primary care practitioners to become medical abortion providers and join AusCAPPS
On July 7th new regulations for the delivery of abortion care under the Termination of Pregnancy Act (SA) 2021 will come into effect. This means that for the first time GPs can provide medical abortion in primary care in SA and women living in South Australia will be able to access abortion via telehealth.
We encourage all SA GPs to support women’s reproductive choices and incorporate medical abortion into their practice. GPs are currently required to undertake the MS-2 Step training (https://www.mariestopes.org.au/become-a-prescriber) to be able to provide medical abortion.
We also invite all GPs, community pharmacists and practice nurses to join the free online AusCAPPS Network. AusCAPPS currently has close to 1000 members. AusCAPPS is funded by the NHMRC in partnership with key stakeholders across Australia. It aims to support primary care practitioners to deliver more comprehensive women’s health services.
The AusCAPPS Network will:
Connect you with GPs, pharmacists and nurses around Australia who also provide medical abortion and contraceptive services
Provide access to training and education opportunities relating to medical abortion and LARC insertion provision
Enable you to put your questions to our expert network
Give you access to resources, guidelines, referral forms and patient handouts
Keep you connected with the latest news and research related to medical abortion and LARC
To join, please register at https://medcast.com.au/communities/auscapps
The Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Coalition meets bimonthly to discuss ways to address critical clinical, health service and workforce issues by developing evidence-informed consensus statements and policy and practice recommendations. Please contact us at [email protected] if you are interested in being involved.
Professor Danielle Mazza
Chair of the Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health COVID-19 Coalition
Director of SPHERE NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Women’s Sexual and
Reproductive Health in Primary Care
Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis AM is the Immediate Past President of the AFMW (2020-2023), former President of VMWS (2013 & 2017-2020) and current AFMW National Coordinator (2024-2026). She is a full time clinician who also holds positions on several not for profit organisations, driven by her passion for bridging gaps across the health sector. She is a leading women’s health expert, keynote speaker, climate change and gender equity advocate and government advisor. Magda is member of The Australian Health Team contributing monthly articles.
Magdalena was awarded a lifetime membership of the RACGP for her contributions which include past chair of Women in General Practice, longstanding contribution to the RACGP Expert Committee Quality Care, the RACGP eHealth Expert Committee. She is regularly invited to comment on primary care research though mainstream and medical media and contributes articles on various health issues through newsGP and other publications.
Magdalena has represented the RACGP at senate enquiries and has worked on several National Health Framework reviews. She is author of the RACGP Guide on Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery and co-reviewer of the RACGP Red Book Women’s Health Chapter, and reviewer of the RACGP White book
Both an RACGP examiner and University examiner, she undertakes general practice research and is a GP Educator with the Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence, which develops education tools to assist the primary care sector identify, respond to and manage family violence . Roles outside of RACGP include the Strategy and Policy Committee for Breast Cancer Network Australia, Board Director of the Melbourne University Teaching Health Clinics and the elected GP representative to the AMA Federal Council. In 2022. she was award the AMA (Vic) Patrick Pritzwald-Steggman Award 2022, which celebrates a doctor who has made an exceptional contribution to the wellbeing of their colleagues and the community and was listed as Women’s Agenda 2022 finalist for Emerging Leader in Health.
Magdalena has presented at the United Nations as part of the Australian Assembly and was appointed the Australian representative to the World Health Organisation, World Assembly on COVID 19, by the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) in 2021. In 2023, A/Professor Simonis was included on the King’s COVID-19 Champion’s list and was also awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to medicine through a range of roles and to women’s health.
