The Australian Federation of Medical Women (AFMW) strongly supports the provision of abortion as an essential component of reproductive health care.
AFMW supports 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 who are capable of having a pregnancy.
Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) has been taking a stance on abortion since the 1980s.
A 1995 Resolution from MWIA urges that:
1. safe and legal abortion services are available, affordable and accessible in all family planning services and the worldwide promotion of women’s health with safe abortion services is seen as an important issue.
2. Women should be encouraged to take leadership in advocating the legal and other changes, which may be required.
MWIA made an Amendment to this Resolution in 2007, stating “It Is Further Resolved That safe abortion be available to all women “
AFMW members stand in solidarity with US health care professionals who provide reproductive health care and work to ensure access to safe abortion services.
Restricting abortions will not stop abortions, but will lead to unsafe abortions. Banning or restricting abortion will set back gains and global commitments to health, wellbeing, and gender equality at a high economic and social cost. The negative impacts from the reversal of Roe v. Wade extend beyond women and include trans, non-binary and other pregnancy capable people. In the United States, the consequences may well extend to the provision of all other forms of contraception and impact more generally on the care of complicated pregnancies.
As medical women in Australia we know we cannot be relaxed about the situation in this country regarding reproductive health care. While abortion is legal in Australia, access depends on many things – like where you live and how much money you have, whether you have access to ultrasounds and to the availability of telehealth. For women living in rural, regional and remote areas, accessing abortion remains extremely difficult.
The US Supreme Court decision has the potential to put at risk access to safe abortion care in Australia through heightening the resolve of those who seek to control women’s decisions and stigmatise this essential health service.
Australian Federation of Medical Women (AFMW)
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.
