Health centre revives fund for abortions

Press, 16 July 1986, Page 3

Health centre revives fund for abortions

A fund for women who have to travel to Christchurch for abortions because of restrictions, waiting lists, or lack of facilities has been revived in Christchurch. The Health Alternatives for Women centre revived the fund mainly to help women from areas such as the West Coast and Invercargill, where there are no abortion services. The centre is also concerned about Christchurch women who have to wait up to four weeks because of the pressure on the Lyndhurst abortion clinic in Bealey Avenue. A spokeswoman for the centre, Ms Anne McGuigan, said that money from the abortion travel fund was depleted during the abortion crisis last year.

Donations were urgently needed to help women who were legally entitled to pregnancy termination but unable to obtain it because of restrictions, long waiting lists, or lack of facilities. It cost about $750 for a woman from Invercargill to fly to Auckland for an abortion at the Auckland Medical Aid Centre (this included the termination cost of $250).

The fund would subsidise those women who could not afford the costs of travel and termination, said Ms McGuigan. The West Coast Hospital Board recently reversed a decision to provide an abortion service at Grey Hospital. It intends to review its decision in two months. West Coast women can only be admitted to the Lyndhurst clinic in exceptional circumstances. Its priority is Canterbury women.