Abortion – you’re not alone

2 Aug, 2017 | Uncategorised

As families prepare to gather for Christmas, there’s a hidden crisis intensifying behind closed doors: reproductive violence, where someone uses coercion, manipulation, pressure or control to dictate another person’s reproductive choices, is affecting thousands of women and pregnant people across our region.

1 in 3 women globally will experience reproductive coercion in their lifetime, including sabotage of contraception, forced pregnancy, prevention or pressure related to abortion care, and financial or emotional threats linked to reproductive decisions.^[1]

In Australia, around 1 in 5 women accessing abortion services report some form of coercion or control from a partner, and frontline counsellors say cases are becoming more complex, particularly during holiday periods when isolation and family pressure escalate.^[2]

“Reproductive violence remains largely invisible, but it is happening right now, in homes, relationships, and families across Australia and the world,” said Grishma Bista, CEO, MSI Asia Pacific.

“No one should face abuse, pressure, or control over their reproductive choices. Access to safe, confidential care is essential, especially at a time of year when family dynamics can amplify risk.”

Holiday season increases risk

The end of the year is a peak period for relationship stress, financial pressure, travel, family expectation and isolation from support networks, all factors that increase risk of reproductive violence and reduce access to help.

MSI Australia’s psychosocial team reports a surge in women disclosing lack of control, fear, or pressure from partners in the lead up to Christmas, particularly around continuing or ending a pregnancy.

“We regularly support clients who are frightened, confused, or unsure if what they are experiencing is abuse,” said Alison Fonseca, Psychosocial Health Manager at MSI Australia.

“Reproductive violence can look like sabotaging contraception, hiding medication, pressuring someone to continue or terminate a pregnancy, or threatening to withdraw financial support. It is gendered violence, and it has devastating consequences.”

Regional impact demands regional action

Across the world, reproductive coercion is deeply connected to gender inequality, stigma, economic dependence, and access to health services. In many countries, there are no legal safeguards, limited counselling services, and severe stigma around reproductive healthcare.

“At MSI, we see resilience every day, people finding the courage to seek help, make their own decisions, and protect their future,” Ms Bista said.

“But access to safe pathways must be funded, protected and strengthened.”

Campaign launching: Help us support safety, choice and care

This Christmas, MSI is launching a donation campaign to support people experiencing reproductive violence, here and overseas.

Funds raised will:

Provide emergency psychosocial support including counselling
Cover the cost of abortion or contraception care for people facing coercion
Support local services in countries where reproductive violence is rarely acknowledged

Every donation, large or small, helps someone make a decision free from control, fear and pressure.

“No one should be forced into or out of a pregnancy,” Ms Fonseca said.

“With community support, we can make sure reproductive choices belong to the person, not their partner, not their family, and not their circumstances.”

Key facts

1 in 5 Australian women seeking abortion report pressure or coercion related to pregnancy decisions
Only 12 out of 43 Asia Pacific countries have legislation enshrining the right to choose the number, timing, and spacing of children ^[3]
Reproductive violence is one of the least recognised forms of gender-based violence, despite being reported in clinical and counselling settings worldwide ^[4]
Family violence is consistently one of the high-recorded months for family violence incidents ^[5]

[1] World Health Organisation. (2021)

[2] MSI Australia. (2020). Hidden Forces: Shining a light on reproductive coercion white paper

[3] IPPF. (2023). Asia Pacific Contraception Policy Atlas.

[4] Tarzia & McKenzie. (2024). Reproductive coercion and abuse in intimate relationships: Women’s perceptions of perpetrator motivations

[5] Crime Statistics Agency. (2025). Family Incidents

Ends

For more information contact Anna Jabour on 0403 322 992

Two years ago, I went through the difficult journey of an unplanned pregnancy and abortion. While I gained positive things from the experience, including a renewed focus about what I want to do with my career and life, it was both the most difficult and most empowering decision I have ever made.

For over five weeks I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I have always been a very maternal person and the possibility of having a child was a very happy one. After much contemplation, however, I decided that terminating the pregnancy was best for me and my situation at the time.

For some women, the decision to terminate a pregnancy is a straightforward one. For others, it is very hard. Sometimes the reaction may be a feeling of relief, other times it may be pain and sadness. For me it was both a hard decision and very painful to deal with. Despite being difficult, it was the right choice, because it was my choice.

In healthcare, especially with choices as complex and emotional as this, it is crucial that women are given the space to own their own decisions.

Having an abortion taught me about the right I have over my own body. It empowered me to be in control and it allowed me to have children when I choose to. It also highlighted to me, however, that the Australian healthcare system is not supporting this right in the way that it should.

At many different points along the way I felt judged and vilified. I felt like I was being questioned about my choices. The throwaway lines of some healthcare practitioners undermined my prior struggles to find the right contraception, as well as the emotional toll the decision to terminate the pregnancy was having. Hospital policies stripped back my autonomy, by not explaining why the date I conceived had to be recorded as two weeks earlier than it was, and by pushing me into decisions about contraception I was not ready to make. I left feeling I was no longer trusted to manage my own reproductive and sexual health.

Due to the caring aspect of healthcare, it is an industry which has the potential to transcend politics and be a pioneer in striving for gender equality. It is also an industry which must be a pioneer, as peoples’ lives depend on it. To do this, women’s autonomy over their own sexual and reproductive health must be maintained and championed.

At the time, if I had known or could have spoken to another woman who had gone through an abortion, I believe the stress would have been more manageable and the self-doubt less overwhelming. Too often in our society, we are silent about issues which are deemed personal, private, but which are a common experience. We allow stigma to continue when silence is maintained, when we fail to challenge assumptions. In speaking about my experience, I am upholding my right over my body, and my decision, and hoping to support others in doing so.

So, to others facing the difficult experience of an unplanned pregnancy and potential termination: you are not alone. Even when you don’t feel supported by those around you, know that there are millions of people who know how you feel, want to give you strength and who will remind you that you have the right to make your own decisions, based on what is best for you and your body.

Eloise Noske is a midwifery student in Melbourne. She shares her story so that women who experience unplanned pregnancies know that they are not alone.