Medication abortion in South Australia: A missed opportunity in general practice

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Nationally, legislative changes and regulatory reform support increased access to medication abortion within community and primary care settings. General practitioners (GPs) are well placed to provide this care, but the extent to which this is occurring remains unclear; here we seek to explore the experiences of consumers who accessed abortion care in South Australia between June 2023 and March 2024. METHOD: Anonymous survey. RESULTS: GPs are a common source of information for consumers seeking abortion care, with up to 40% of respondents indicating that they consulted with a GP prior to attending a specialist abortion clinic. Many had also attempted to access early medication abortion in general practice but were unable to, due to a lack of local, timely or affordable options. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that the community expects to be able to access medication abortion within general practice settings, and that there is increasing and unmet demand for this service.