continued..

It is most likely very poorly conceived other government policies and lack of a holistic approach that are impacting so harshly on these young working couples. Couples who would have children if they could, but cannot rise above the high direct and indirect taxes that result from immigration that since the end of WW2 has always been far too high. Of course home prices and council rates are being ramped up by over-enthusiastic immigration for a 'Big Australia' and so too are the costs of essentials such as water and energy.

Young working couples just don't have the ear of government as other lobbyists do and they are not organised. They need leadership to step forward and demand what used to be their right and reasonable expectation, to have the children they planned and work so very hard for, but are denied by federal governments that respond to noisy lobbyists and the perceived political imperatives to shore up votes and win marginal seats.

OTB,
Then why are those young women you speak about on the pill if they cannot afford to have babies. That seems a far better option than having an abortion.

Banjo,

Agreed, research is sorely needed.

It seems that sex education and availability of contraception lower the incidence of unplanned pregnancies of minors and teens. The number stays down.

However, the unexpected spike in abortions concerns women in their ideal childbearing and child-raising years - twenties to early-thirties. With this group the rate of abortion is likely linked to difficult financial times. Probably more so where there is already one child and the couple have already experienced the additional costs of child-raising.

That seems to make some sense. However, you would imagine that where there are so many more abortions than even the opponents of abortion might have speculated, government is duty bound to ensuring the best data gathering available and would be sponsoring independent university research into causes, which could involve a complex interplay of other policies, as indicated earlier.