Women’s Health

I am unqualified to speak on this issue. But I am concerned by the importation of a resurgent misogyny trying to roll back hard-won (and incomplete) basic rights for women which would threaten my ability to provide care as a GP (and impact the lives of half our population). We are already seeing increasing media and political attacks on women who speak out, attempts to re-frame domestic violence, renewed attempts to criminalise abortion, and a manosphere which encourages men to believe they have the right to control women.

Abortion rights may be the most imminent threat to women’s health, are the most closely related to our ability to practise full spectrum women’s health, and is an area in which doctors have taken a lead in the past.

Although the College is a consistent advocate for women’s health, I believe it needs to go further.

The Royal Australasian College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RANZCOG) has made clear statements on a women’s right to choose, in response to restrictions on women’s health care at a publicly-funded Mater hospital in Brisbane and attempts to pass anti-abortion legislation in South Australia (defeated but both Premier Peter Malinauskas and opposition leader Ashton Hurn voted in favour).

Their RANZCOG statement (Facebook version from 21 May 2026) could be adapted and adopted by the College as a simple first step:

“RANZCOG is deeply concerned by new attacks on abortion access and reproductive healthcare across Australia. The proposed legislative changes in South Australia and exclusion of abortion services at the new Mater Hospital Springfield in Queensland reflect a broader trend of increasing barriers to essential reproductive care and threats to women’s autonomy, safety and equitable access to healthcare.

As the College has always asserted, abortion is essential healthcare. Reasons are unique to each person. It is their choice, and an emotional and physical process that they endure. These decisions must remain between a woman and her healthcare provider, not be dictated by political intervention. Medical professionals, not parliamentarians, are best equipped to assess the unique factors that inform […] individual decisions about abortion.”

https://www.facebook.com/ranzcog/posts/ranzcog-is-deeply-concerned-by-new-attacks-on-abortion-access-and-reproductive-h/1560018402362314/ (accessed 17 August 2026) The full statement can be found here: https://ranzcog.edu.au/news/abortion-access-under-attack-again-in-two-australian-states/ (accessed 17 August 2026)

To get an idea of how dominant anti-abortion and anti-women’s health campaigns can grow, and how fast, a look at the situation in the USA is both informative and terrifying. The Trump administration and most if not all of the Republican party are working to support increasingly restrictive legislation at state level, essentially aiming for criminalisation of all abortions under any circumstance, with some legislators calling for abortion to be a capital offence. The focus is now turning towards contraception, with powerful political voices also calling for restrictions on access to contraception.

This attack on women’s health has already resulted in arrests of women who have had miscarriages (every miscarriage is a suspected abortion), and is impacting ObGyns in the more conservative states as doctors fear for their licensing or criminal record if they provide safe and appropriate care (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2848696).

There is now talk of active surveillance of pregnant women and a strong possibility that doctors or other health workers will need to become fertility police. Next steps? Random HCG checks? Ankle monitors for women found to be pregnant? Women with lower abdominal pain faking negative HCG tests to avoid prosecution? No need to restrict voting rights or limit women to non-leadership jobs (sadly also on the USA far right agenda).

The time to halt this is now, before the anti-abortion propaganda ramps up more and legislators are tempted to support new laws to appease potential swing voters and the corporate media.

Note: For some insight into where things are at in the USA, I’ve found an Instagram account by Jessica Valenti (@jessicavalenti) provides a useful entry point - she has a very clear focus and agenda and updates most days. Agree or disagree, she seems keen to stick close to the facts and has been doing this consistently for quite some time now. Also, for some local views from the next generation, I’m told it is worth looking at Cheek Media (@cheekmedia.co) - not abortion-focussed but by women not following the traditional media script and who will be funding all our public retirement home places (or not). Another local recommendation was Ette Media (@ette.media).