Reasonable grounds a 'very grey area'A termination of pregnancy is lawful in Queensland only if the practitioner believes "on reasonable grounds" an abortion is necessary to "preserve the woman from a serious danger to her life or physical or mental health," Queensland Maternity and Neonatal Clinical Guidelines state.
In NSW, the same grounds apply, although a woman's "economic and social" circumstances are also considered.
Karen said what constituted a reasonable ground for an abortion was "legally a very grey area".
"We're effectively lying to make the case fit the law," she said.
"We have to say it will endanger her mental health to continue this pregnancy. Sometimes that's true, not always.
"Certainly, there are a lot of abortions carried out in Queensland.
Abortion law reform 'could save lives'Most abortions in Australia are carried out in private clinics, attracting an out-of-pocket cost.
In 2015, Queensland Health estimated fewer than 3 per cent of abortions were provided in public health facilities.
Jamal Hakim is the chief operating officer for Marie Stopes International, a private clinic that performs abortions country-wide.
He said decriminalising abortion could save lives.
"Women might not have access to funds because of the relationship, or they might have access to funds but they need to have an abortion discreetly because when their partner finds out then the relationship actually gets more violent," he said.
"That's where it's important for women, so that they don't take this into their own hands."
Children by Choice manager Amanda Bradley said last year she saw about one woman a fortnight who was considering self-termination.
"We have women who either tried, or have asked how to do it. It's very serious," she said.
Karen also said some doctors' conscientious objection, and lack of access in rural areas drove some patients to despair.
'No problem so great a woman should kill her baby'Queensland Health said about 10,000 abortions were carried out in the state in 2015.
The president of pro-life group Right to Life, Margaret Tighe, said she was determined to fight what she described as a "gradual escalation in the killing of unborn children".
"I can understand how women who've been subjected to violence by their husbands or partners, how they would feel. But nonetheless, there is no problem so great that a woman should have to kill her baby," she said.
Liesl Wharton, the director of domestic violence survivors' support group the RED HEART Campaign, said doctors also needed to keep an eye out for instances where they believed a woman was being forced to end a pregnancy.
"We also need to ensure that abortions are not forced upon women, also sterilisation operations are not forced upon women," she said.
A NSW Health spokesperson said: "Access to abortions should be considered in the same way as access to other medical care."
A Queensland Health spokesperson said: "Health providers, including our public hospitals, provide termination of pregnancy in accordance with the law."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-21/abortion-laws-force-abused-women-to-stay-w...