Media Release
12th March 2009
Early medical abortion service provided by Family Planning will help to reduce the stress of abortion
Women’s Health Action have come out in support of yesterday’s announcement by Family Planning that they will be applying
for a license to provide early medical abortion in a clinic setting up to 9 weeks gestation using the drug Mifegyne
(mifepristone), formerly known as RU486. Mifegyne is used widely overseas and has been approved for use here in New
Zealand since 2001.
Providing women with an early medical abortion service through Family Planning clinics will help make abortions more
accessible for those women who live outside the main centres, and help to reduce waiting times for others. Under the
current system, coverage of abortion services remains very limited and many women face the inconvenience, expense and
added stress of traveling long distances and being away from home when they have an abortion. The waiting time for
abortions means many are performed later than necessary.
In applauding the move by Family Planning, Christy Parker of Women’s Health Action Trust stated:
“Making abortions more accessible to women is an important step in addressing significant disparities in this essential
women’s health service. It will also help to reduce the stress of having an abortion and therefore the risk that
abortion will have a negative impact on women’s mental health”.
Evidence does not support that improving the accessibility and quality of abortion services will result in a greater
number of women accessing these services. However for the women who do access abortion services, greater choice of
treatment options, improved accessibility including reduced waiting times and therefore earlier abortions, can greatly
improve women’s experience and thus their long term health and wellbeing.
ENDS