In light of the calls to introduce safe zones around abortion clinics, one Riverina woman has reflected on her struggles to gain access to a much-needed health service.
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Hay’s Sharon Porter was 19 years old, the mother of a 10-month-old and had recently split from the father when she found out her contraception had failed and she was pregnant.
“I was getting the contraception needle again and they do a pregnancy test first and that was how I found out I was pregnant,” she said.
“In Hay they had to confirm with a blood test, and it took about a week for the results to come back and it was daunting. It was positive so they had to book me in for an ultrasound.”
The specialist who did the ultrasounds only came to Hay every second Tuesday, after that there were more blood tests. The whole process took three to four weeks and Ms Porter told no one.
It was too late for a pill and her only option was to travel to Melbourne, by which time she was already 14 weeks pregnant.
“I was working part-time, had to get to Melbourne, the price was about $500 and I was struggling with money,” she said. “The procedure I chose to have went over two days.”
Ms Porter had her abortion on Mother’s Day in 2013.
“I remember as we were walking in, there was this lady out the front and she had this baby doll and was telling me to look into her eyes,” she said.
Ms Porter understands where pro-life people are coming from, in fact before she found herself in this situation she was against abortion, but thinks a safe zone should be introduced around clinics.
“I used to think if you’re an adult, deal with it, but then you get put into that situation,” she said. “I didn’t really tell anyone else because I felt like others would judge, I was judgemental myself up until that point.”
Ms Porter thinks about her choice, but knows it was the right one for her situation.
“I am running my own business, I was young and silly and wouldn't be where I am if I hadn’t made that choice,” she said.
Ms Porter hopes that the services she had to travel for will become more accessible to women in regional areas such as the Riverina as it’s already a tough situation without having the financial and emotional stress of leaving home for it.
Ms Porter says her experience was made “dramatically” more stressful by the commute.