Peak obstetricians’ body warns that the Albanese government has put a political solution above women’s health - Dr Joanna Howe

Peak obstetricians’ body warns that the Albanese government has put a political solution above women’s health

Peak obstetricians’ body warns that the Albanese government has put a political solution above women’s health

This week National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists president Gino Pecoraro said the decision of the Albanese government to allow nurse practitioners to prescribe abortion pills would see “lesser trained practitioners” being involved and put women’s lives at risk.

In The Australian newspaper’s article, “Peak obstetricians’ body warns women at risk after abortion pill access expanded”, Dr Pecoraro stated, “You can’t just start something like this, you have to have all the infrastructure in place to deal with all of the complications and it may simply be that it’s just not safe to do this everywhere.”

Dr Pecoraro told The Australian that he has seen firsthand the risks from abortion pills. Earlier this year he was called to help a 40 year old woman who had been flown in from regional NSW after experiencing severe complications. Dr Pecoraro said the woman nearly died because of significant bleeding.

Dr Pecaoraro stated, “It’s a dictum in medicine that you shouldn’t be prescribing something if you can’t deal with the complications of it. I’m just concerned that on the surface this looks like a wonderful thing to increase access to regional and remote disadvantaged women … but the first rule has to be do no harm, and I’m not convinced we’re not going to do harm.”