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This week a Senate committee will report on whether pregnancy counselling organisations should be banned from engaging in misleading and deceptive advertising.
The committee has heard evidence from pro-life pregnancy counselling services that do not support regulated, transparent advertising because they are concerned that fewer women will contact them if they know they do not refer for terminations. One witness at the Adelaide public hearing claimed that this bill would result in women missing out on vital information that they need about the risks of abortion.
It is hard to imagine how anyone with a woman's best interests at heart could believe seriously that receiving a high volume of phone calls is more important than women receiving upfront and objective information and making the best decision for them on the basis of that information.
I respect the right of a variety of pregnancy counselling services to operate, and recognise that women need to be able to choose a service that best suits them. My bill to regulate pregnancy counselling, which the Senate committee is examining, is designed to facilitate this, not by punishing pro-life services but by ensuring that women are fully informed about the philosophy of the organisation they are contacting.
The committee has heard evidence that women who believed they were contacting objective pregnancy counselling services about an unplanned pregnancy have been told they will be at increased risk of breast cancer, infertility and depression, that most people need the termination procedure repeatedly, and that they will bleed heavily.
Women have said they felt "bullied" and pressured into continuing their pregnancy, and that they would be offered baby clothes and Government money if they continued.
I have long campaigned for the regulation of pregnancy counselling services, which are exempt from misleading and deceptive advertising laws because pregnancy counselling organisations that do not charge are not covered by the Trade Practices Act.
To combat this issue, I introduced the Transparent Advertising and Notification of Pregnancy Counselling Services Bill last year, which seeks to prohibit misleading and deceptive advertising and notification of pregnancy counselling services; promote transparency and full choice in the notification and advertising of pregnancy counselling services; improve public health; and minimise the difficulties associated with obtaining advice to deal with unplanned pregnancy.
The bill ensures that pregnancy counselling organisations that do not refer for terminations declare this, so women seeking advice on whether to continue a pregnancy know the sort of organisation they are contacting. The bill was referred to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for examination, and its findings are due to be tabled in the Senate today.
The urgency for pregnancy counselling regulation was highlighted in March when the Federal Government announced it would allocate $51 million over the next four years to establish a national pregnancy support telephone helpline and introduce a Medicare item number for pregnancy counselling.
These new measures raise other concerns for Australian women. Recently, the Australian Medical Association expressed concern about the privacy of women using the proposed Medicare item number, given it will only be available to women who are uncertain about whether to continue with their pregnancy. The AMA argues the item number will identify women who have considered the option of abortion, regardless of their ultimate decision.
The Australian Democrats have long been concerned about pregnancy counselling being singled out for a separate Medicare item number and payment in this way.
The Australian Government needs to reassess the objectives behind this proposal and ensure there is no infringement on the reproductive or privacy rights of Australian women.
Most importantly, the Government must regulate pregnancy counselling before these measures are due to come into effect at the end of the year.
Senator Natasha Stott Despoja is the Australian Democrats' spokeswoman for the status of women.
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