After sexual violence

Pregnancy from sexual violence

A person must have your consent for sexual activity.

Consent means that you give permission, or agree, for something to happen.

All sexual activity, not just penis in vagina sex, is included.

Consent must be voluntary, which means you are not pressured. It must also be informed, which means you have full understanding of what you are agreeing to.

If you give consent once, that does not mean that you give it in the future. You can change your mind and withdraw your consent at any time.

It is sexual violence if someone has sex or does sexual things to you, and you do not agree.

It is also sexual violence if one person feels tricked, coerced, or forced into participating.

Sometimes, sexual violence leads to pregnancy. If you are pregnant because of sexual violence, you may experience intense feelings.

You may feel confused, anxious, or angry.

If you or someone you know has experienced pregnancy resulting from sexual violence you can access free, confidential support through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre (CRCC).

You can find more information here, or call the CRCC Crisis Line between 7am and 11pm 7 days a week on 6247 2525.

Having an abortion after sexual violence

Even if the pregnancy is not a result of sexual violence, having an abortion can still be a difficult experience if you are someone who has experienced sexual violence.

For some people medical exams, scans or surgeries can be triggering or upsetting, especially if they involve reproductive body parts.

It may be helpful to have an idea of what happens when you have an abortion. You can use our website to help with this.

Remember that you can also ask your doctor any questions that you have about having an abortion.

You can also plan for any support you may need before your abortion. This could be a support person for appointments or counselling.