BY CHARLOTTE LLOYD
A new service model is set to pilot in the Hunter that is in hopes to improve access to affordable contraception and termination services.
This comes after a Notice of Motion put forward in October by Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery.
Following the closure of the Marie Stopes Clinic in August, Ms Hornery has said an influx of women have approached her office in distress and uncertainty, unsure of options for family planning or termination.
The closure of the clinic also meant many women were forced to travel elsewhere such as Sydney to seek safe termination which also sees an increase in the cost of services and specialists that are needed.
"It is vital that women in urban and regional New South Wales have access to services locally as possible because of the cost and the time constraints," says Ms Hornery
The project pilot will have $10.4 million worth of funding provided to Family Planning NSW that comes under the Ministerially Approved Grants Program.
This funding is looking to extend off existing services or back the opening of a new service to aid those in reproductive situations.
" I am glad that the Government listened to the calls for improved services in the Wallsend electorate and stepped up on this very important issue by investing in women's healthcare," says Ms Hornery
