Alison Evans: US anti-abortion contagion must be kept out of Australia

America has spoken loud and clear. On the presidency, the economy and the role of women’s rights within public debate.

The world is awash with pundits casting their verdict around what caused the “biggest political upset” ever seen. Some say president-elect Donald Trump won on policy, the economy and the cost of living. Others that Vice President Kamala Harris lost because she was a woman, a Democrat and campaigned on a soft policy platform. And then there is the question of whether or not social media giants played a role, or if a traditional ground campaign can still sway hearts and minds.

What is not in question is that women’s rights and debate around abortion — which is either banned or severely restricted in 21 US states — took centre stage in both campaigns. Trump insisted he would be a “protector” for women “whether they like it or not”, while the Democrats poured a reported $175 million on broadcast TV ads with messaging about abortion rights. Politics aside, what cannot be ignored is the politicisation of healthcare has real implications for the rights of women and puts their health at risk.

It’s not just the US politicians debating the winding back of women’s access and rights to critical healthcare. Abortion debates raged during Queensland’s recent State election, and a Bill to curtail late-term abortions after 20 weeks, which doctors say account for fewer than 1 per cent of procedures, was only narrowly defeated in South Australia last month. And many women in WA face barriers when trying to access this critical health care, especially those in regional, rural and remote areas as well as younger women, women experiencing intimate partner violence and reproductive coercion and those from diverse and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Most of the debate focusses on the morality of abortions, rather than viewing procedures as health care. But we can’t forget the perilous stance of other reproductive rights including safe childbirth, access to contraception, the right to be safe from sexual violence and reproductive coercion and the right to make free, informed reproductive decisions.

The Women’s Community Health Network provides a range of holistic, trauma-informed services, including reproductive healthcare, across WA. It is vital these services can continue their work and expand delivery of abortion care services delivered by nurse practitioners, ensuring access to women who have difficulty accessing mainstream health services are able to receive this vital piece of healthcare.

The deaths of at least four women so far, two in Texas, two in Georgia, have been linked to US abortion bans. Others have suffered extreme lifelong complications and unimaginable trauma. Many more women face potentially life-threatening delays and denials of health care. We must not let this become the story in Australia. While wide sweeping abortion bans may not make it to our shores, the anti-autonomy rhetoric, stigma, shame, and misinformation around reproductive health care are already here. We must continue to challenge this dangerous narrative. We must not let our hard-fought freedoms slide. We should trust women to know what is best for their bodies, their physical and mental health, and their lives. Our Australian politicians should too.

Dr Alison Evans is the CEO of the Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing.