Marie Stopes International: Medical abortion: Finally an option for Australian women

Monday, 10 August 2009 12:00 AM

London: Australian women have finally been given the option of medical abortion for early termination of pregnancy, following the launch of this service by leading sexual and reproductive healthcare provider, Marie Stopes International.

Access to medical abortion in Australia has been an issue of intense political debate. Prior to 2006, the Federal Health Minister had exercised his power to veto any application to allow the drug mifepristone to be used in Australia. In February 2006, control was passed to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) which now monitors all access to the drug.

Under the TGA, mifepristone can be prescribed by selected Authorised Prescribers for the purposes of medical abortion in the first trimester (below nine weeks) at Marie Stopes International's centres in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, the ACT and Western Australia.

"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."

Medical abortion using the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol has been recommended by experts as the most effective and safest method for terminating early stage pregnancies. Experience in the UK has shown that about half of all women having a termination within the first nine weeks of pregnancy choose a medical treatment over a surgical procedure.

"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."

Currently no pharmaceutical company has applied for approval to import and distribute mifepristone in Australia. Marie Stopes International has imported the drug (Miffee®) from a pharmaceutical company in Europe after receiving an import permit from the TGA.

Medical abortion has been used by millions of women in over 30 countries since the late 1980s, and Marie Stopes International has been using medical abortion in the UK since 1996.

For media enquiries contact:

Australia: Madryn Sanderson +61 410 459 557 or Samantha Smith: +61 421 097 150
UK: Tony Kerridge +44 (0)20 7034 2365

Notes to editors:

Marie Stopes International in Australia: Marie Stopes International (MSI) is a not-for-profit sexual and reproductive healthcare provider, with centres in the ACT, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. MSI offers a range of services, including abortion, vasectomy, sexually transmitted infection check-ups, contraception and community-based health promotion and education. The organisation is part of a global international partnership that delivers vital reproductive health services to over five million people in 43 countries worldwide.

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