Retrospective cohort study shows extending abortion access may improve outcomes for disadvantaged women in Australia, indicating a need for policy change.
In many areas of the world, outpatient early medical abortion (EMA) is provided through mifepristone and misoprostol up to 10 weeks or 70 days gestation; however in Australia access is restricted to 63 days. A retrospective cohort study using South Australian data from 2012 to 2020 compares women undergoing abortion at less than 9 weeks with women undergoing abortion at less than 10 weeks. Currently, socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with a higher rate of presenting for abortion after 9 weeks. Extending EMA access would be of particular benefit for groups with socioeconomic disadvantage.
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Slade et al. (2025) studied this question.
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