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Objectives: In Australia, about one in four pregnancies results in an induced abortion. The termination of a pregnancy is still, however, a criminal act in most jurisdictions, and access to abortion is not without barriers. This paper analyses existing access barriers and their implications.Methods: Databases and the grey literature were searched for publications that examined any legal and/or non-legal abortion access barrier applicable to Australia (2000-2016). Only those barriers that had been demonstrated to be the most restrictive were included and categorised.Results: From the initial 410 studies, only 20 publications were identified that matched the inclusion criteria. They indicated that access barriers do indeed exist in Australia. In many parts of Australia, abortion is only legal under strict conditions. Relatively strong evidence was found on the limited abortion access of rural women and of an imminent shortage in the provision of late abortions. For other barriers only limited research evidence existed, or merely opinions were expressed. Very few studies were undertaken to link barriers to outcomes.Conclusion: Although this review can form a base for the national improvement of abortion access, the gap found in Australian research demonstrates a need for additional studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lesbian mothers share mainstream existence with other mothers by virtue of their motherhood, but remain marginalised by their non-heterosexual identity. This paper will draw on the qualitative findings of a recent Australian study that examined the experiences of lesbian mothers. Using a story-sharing method, data were collected using three methods; a demographic data sheet, in-depth semi-structured interviews and journaling. The findings demonstrated that participants experienced various forms of homophobia when interfacing with healthcare services and providers and included exclusion, heterosexual assumption, inappropriate questioning and refusal of services. Strategies used to avoid homophobia included screening and crusading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurses and midwives play a key role in providing universal maternal, child and family health services in Australia. However, the Australian federation of states and territories has resulted in policy frameworks that differ across jurisdictions and services that are fragmented across disciplines and sectors. This paper reports the findings of a study that reviewed and synthesised current Australian service policy or frameworks for maternity and child health services in order to identify the degree of commonality across jurisdictions and the compatibility with international research on child development. Key maternity and child health service policy documents in each jurisdiction were sourced. The findings indicate that current policies were in line with international research and policy directions, emphasising prevention and early intervention, continuity of care, collaboration and integrated services. The congruence of policies suggests the time is right to consider the introduction of a national approach to universal maternal, child health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current Australian maternity policy, while fragmented and uneven, is moving in new directions. Alliances between consumers, sympathetic health professionals and bureaucrats have placed the objectives of improving women's choices, increasing their control over decision-making and providing continuity of care firmly on the agenda. The state arena is a central space for articulating such demands and policy support has been critical to implementing changes in service delivery. Along with steps forward, though, steps sideways and backwards indicate the contingent character of the late modern state as it responds to social changes at the same time as advancing particular political goals. This paper argues that impediments towards making services more 'women-friendly' lie not only in the historical location of childbirth management in the medically-driven acute sector but in contemporary neoliberal political and economic pressures that both promote and yet constrain change. Research in selected Victorian hospitals suggests that desirable goals are compromised by working realities in contemporary public hospitals. Political mobilisation in the community and around the state remain necessary to encourage further change in childbirth management, but continuing critical assessment of the structural context and human challenges of maternity reform is also essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]