It is “not really appropriate” that islanders have to pay for abortions, a top scrutineer has said – as she called for the charges to be re-considered as part of upcoming law changes.
As Chair of the Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel, Deputy Louise Doublet is preparing to publicly question the Health Minister and his team at a hearing focused solely on the island’s women and girls – and the healthcare systems meant to support them.
Among the topics due to be discussed later this month are the proposed changes to Jersey’s termination-of-pregnancy law.
Set out last month as part of a public consultation on the issue, the changes include removing the requirement for islanders to prove “distress”, introducing the ability to create safe access zones around termination clinics to protect users from abuse and harassment, and reducing the number of doctors that need to be consulted before an abortion is carried out.
But, under the proposed changes, abortion will remain a paid-for service – costing £185, or over £500 for those without a health card.
Deputy Doublet said: “I think, if a woman is in a situation where she is pregnant and doesn’t want to be, adding a charge onto that situation is not really appropriate.
“And it is really concerning that the charge is so much higher for people who don’t have a health card.”
She added: “I think the charges need to be looked at, because I know that there will be some women who just won’t be able to access a termination if it’s a paid-for service.
“One thing I would hope we have learned from the Violence Against Women and Girls report is that economic abuse is hugely prevalent in Jersey.
“It’s present in the majority of cases of any other type of domestic abuse, so if a woman is being subject to sexual abuse by a partner, then she is also likely to have limited access to funds.
“It’s really critical that abortion charges are considered and, on balance, I don’t understand why it would be a paid-for service.”
It comes amid increasing scrutiny of Jersey’s abortion process, with a £10,000 independent review quietly published last year uncovering a raft of issues in need of addressing – from “distressing” waits to confidentiality concerns and what was described as a “dehumanising” system for seeking financial help.
However, Deputy Doublet is supportive of the majority of the proposed legislative changes.
“I am really pleased that it’s got to this stage because I’ve been working on this area for a number of years,” she said. “It’s essential healthcare for women.”
The scrutineer praised plans to remove the law’s requirement that islanders demonstrate “distress” in order to qualify for an abortion.
“I don’t think women should have to present as being in distress if they’re seeking a termination,” she explained.
“I think if a woman has made a rational decision – and sometimes it’s an economic decision, or sometimes it’s a decision related to domestic abuse or rape – she should be able to just go and request that medical service without having to satisfy any particular kind of emotional state.”
You can read a fuller interview with Deputy Doublet in Saturday’s JEP.
