This information is for men who are supporting their partner’s decision to have an abortion. If your partner is undecided about her unplanned pregnancy, you may find it useful to read our fact sheet Unplanned pregnancy - information for men.
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We have asked women what practical support they found useful or helpful following their decision to have an abortion. The following is based on their responses.
Practical support includes:
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- Offering to drive her to the hospital and to pick her up following the procedure. As a support person you can accompany your partner to the hospital and depending on the type of procedure she is having, you may be able to stay with her. It is the policy of the Women’s that women have a support person available who can be contacted and can pick her up following the procedure especially if she has had a general anaesthetic and is not able to drive for 24 hours following. The hospital has a duty of care not to discharge a woman immediately after a procedure if she is going home on her own. The hospital will call you when she is ready to be discharged.
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- Helping with childcare or other domestic tasks while she is recovering.
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- Offering to help with expenses including surgery fees, blood tests, hospital costs etc.
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- Helping her to get to appointments or offering to pay for the procedure.
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Emotional support includes:
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- Letting her know that you will support her throughout and after the abortion.
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- She may still want to talk about her decision to someone who can listen and not judge her, so if you can let her do this and provide reassurance she may find this supportive.
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- As it is a medical procedure, she may feel anxious about what to expect and so could benefit from having a caring person there for her.
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At the Women’s we aim to fully inform women about the procedure at her medical consultation. This gives her the opportunity to ask questions or express any concerns she has and to be treated with respect and dignity. If she has specific fears or worries that persist and you do not feel able to help her with, then you may encourage her to contact the Pregnancy Advisory Service on 8345 3061 for more support.
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