The Assistant Health Minister Has No Idea How Much An Abortion Costs
Well, it turns out one of Australia’s top health policymakers actually has no idea how much people are being charged for medical abortions in this country. In an interview on Sky News this afternoon, Assistant Minister for Health Dr. (yes, doctor!) David Gillespie appeared stumped when asked why legal abortions using the drug RU486 can still cost upwards of $500 in some cases.
In the fumbling answer, Gillespie essentially admitted he “didn’t realise that was the situation”, describing the question as “out of left field” before eventually settling on the line “healthcare delivery in a safe, controlled environment does generally mean there’s a cost”.
Sky News reporter Samantha Maiden then pointed out that the point of introducing RU486 — a drug that can induce miscarriage without the need for a surgical abortion — in the first place was “to help women, particularly women in regional Australia, access more affordable abortions if they needed it. That’s not happening, so why shouldn’t we take a look at this?”
.@DaveGillespieMP: the government doesn't tell GPs what to charge women to access abortions. #auspol MORE: https://t.co/tZ4Y9B4ouT pic.twitter.com/9xOrwqwJdu
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) October 4, 2017
Gillespie then tried to blame the costs of RU486 on doctors and hospitals involved, before being forced to admit that he’s not particularly informed on the issue, despite being Assistant Minister for Health and a former GP.
“Yeah look I’m not privy to what GPs are charging out there in the real world,” he said. “I just don’t have a real comment on that because I’m not abreast of what these alleged costs are. I’d have to take information from the department and see if that is indeed the case. We don’t tell GPs what to charge”.
Despite the fact that RU486 is listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and therefore should only cost around $40 to procure, women in many places around the country are still paying hundreds of dollars for the entire procedure. What’s more, given that abortion legislation varies wildly from state to state in Australia, the cost of and ease of access to the drug also varies wildly for people across the country.
Given the significant impact of access to abortion on mental and physical health, it’s pretty shocking that access is still so difficult (and so varied). It’s even more shocking that one of the top policymakers with the power to do something about it is totally unaware of the problem. We can only hope today’s Sky News interview was a bit of a wakeup call for Gillespie, who can no longer claim ignorance on this front.