Dr Petra Ladwig

06/10/2025

This should be part of comprehensive women's health care.

🚫 No publicly funded hospital should be able to deny abortion care.

RANZCOG supports the recommendations in 'Access in Action: Abortion Care in Victoria', released today by state crossbenchers. The Report identifies key barriers to abortion access: including affordability, accessibility, institutional or “corporate” conscientious objectors, and workforce shortages.

President-Elect Dr Nisha Khot spoke to the Herald Sun about the Report’s Recommendation 6, which advises that the Victorian Government end “corporate conscientious objection” – where an entire hospital or facility (often a publicly funded religious institution) refuses to provide reproductive care because of organisational beliefs or values.

RANZCOG has long called for an end to this practice, including in its written and verbal submissions to the Inquiry into Universal Access to Reproductive Healthcare. Despite the report identifying the ‘type of provider, including religious affiliation and the degree of conscientious objection’ as a barrier to access, federal government and state and territory health ministers only agreed in principle to the related recommendation, and are yet to make any meaningful policy changes.

When publicly funded facilities deny access to abortion care, women suffer and are often forced to either travel (sometimes hundreds of kilometers) or pay significant out-of-pocket costs for this essential, time critical care.

Abortion is essential healthcare. Healthcare decisions belong solely to women or pregnant people, and their clinician – not publicly funded institutions.

Read the report in full:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6434da880f97cb3175ffea0b/t/68e2fdc74f21b047c9b1003e/1759706567346/AJP+%26+LCV+Abortion+Access+Report-2025+10-report+r8.pdf

27/09/2025

Very important to know

💬 A message from Professor Craig Pennell, Red Nose Board Member and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist

At Red Nose, our mission is to save little lives and support every family affected by the death of a baby or child.

That’s why we stand with Royal Aust & NZ College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists RANZCOG the Therapeutic Goods Administration - TGA , and the Australian Medical Association in reaffirming the safety and benefits of paracetamol use during pregnancy.

🌡️High temperatures during pregnancy have the potential to cause adverse pregnancy outcomes.

✅ When used in the lowest dose for the shortest time needed, paracetamol is considered safe in pregnancy and can be beneficial if managing a high temperature.

🤰 Always check with your obstetric care provider if you have questions about medications in pregnancy.

🔗 Learn more on our website: https://rednose.org.au/safe-sleep-and-safer-pregnancy/paracetamol-use-in-pregnancy/
🔗 Read RANZCOG’s full statement: https://ranzcog.edu.au/news/paracetamol-use-in-pregnancy/

23/09/2025

23/09/2025

Important to share

The Trump administration has made highly controversial claims about the causes of autism and ADHD, asserting that paracetamol (also known as acetaminophen) use during pregnancy increases the risk of children being diagnosed as neurodivergent.

RANZCOG joins leading clinicians and scientists worldwide in rejecting these claims. Scientific evidence shows no link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism or ADHD during childhood, with several large and reliable studies directly contradicting the administration’s statement.

The causes of neurodivergence are incompletely understood and remain complex, involving both genetic and environmental factors. Earlier studies raising concerns about paracetamol could not determine whether the medicine itself was responsible, or whether other factors explained the association.

A much larger and stronger study, published in 2024 by Ahlqvist and colleagues, looked at 2.5 million children in Sweden. When they accounted for important factors like family history of autism/ADHD and sibling comparisons, they found no link between paracetamol use during pregnancy and children developing autism or ADHD.

The use of medications during pregnancy should always balance the potential benefits against any potential harms - both of the medication and of the condition being treated - to the mother and the fetus. The Ahlqvist study provides conclusive evidence that paracetamol use during pregnancy does not increase the chance of neurodivergence in the offspring and therefore should be considered safe to use in pregnancy where there is a clear reason to do so.

People who are uncertain about medication use in pregnancy should discuss this with their doctor or midwife.

Learn more in a statement on the College’s website: https://ranzcog.edu.au/news/paracetamol-use-in-pregnancy/

10/08/2025

Support a great cause with this online raffle for Zonta Foundation for Women . Drawn September 14th at the District Conference.
https://www.raffletix.com.au/zontadistrict22

06/06/2025

Glad to see professional groups stepping up and taking a lead

On World Environment Day, RANZCOG's Environmental Sustainability Working Group has issued an updated statement, reaffirming the College's commitment to advocating on the broader determinants of health; social, environmental, cultural and economic. Climate change is a defining health challenge of our time, and there is growing evidence that climate change is associated with increased risks of stillbirth, preterm birth, low birth weight and mental health conditions, and a catalyst for widening health inequality.

The healthcare sector contributes approximately 7% of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions, with major contributors including hospitals, pharmaceutical production, medical waste and energy-intensive infrastructure.

We need urgent, coordinated and sustained action from governments, health departments, hospitals, academic institutions and individual clinicians, to reduce the environmental impact of the healthcare sector. Environmental sustainability must be embedded into every level of our healthcare systems; from how we deliver care, to how we educate future practitioners, to how we procure supplies and design infrastructure.

RANZCOG is committed to integrating sustainability principles into the College's own practices. The College will continue to adapt its educational curricula, event operations, digital resource use and travel policies to reduce its environmental footprint. We will continue to engage in advocacy with other health colleges and organisations to amplify the voice of healthcare professionals in shaping environmental policy.

And we will continue to support members and trainees in their day-to-day decisions about resource use, anaesthetic gases or supply chains, as well as in efforts to initiate local sustainability projects and advocate for greener practices in hospitals. Seemingly small individual actions, when amplified across the health system, can drive significant change.

Read the full statement on the College's website, and ask yourself: what role could you play in making healthcare more sustainable?

https://ranzcog.edu.au/resources/statement-on-climate-change/

14/04/2025

An important petition for women.
Sign now for Equality of health care.

10/12/2024

Raffle is drawn. Thanks for your support. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/KyrxiGsL2cEnpnDK/

WINNERS with ticket numbers
First prize: Stay in France JZ 498
Second: Transition Framed Print CA 163
Third: Case Bangor Wine JF 553
Fourth: Screenprint HM 365
Fifth: Voucher Florian shoes DT 59
Sixth: Voucher Event cinema JL 181
Seventh: Gourmet Moet hamper AL 86
Eighth: Myer Voucher PN 180
Ninth: Set of Funky Books LF 400
Tenth: Splash of Indulgence hamper MC 114
Eleventh: Gourmet Chocolate Hamper PL 14
Twelfth: Painting JZ 502

Congratulations to all winners. Check your emails and contact us with details to arrange delivery.

17/10/2024

15/10/2024

Raffle is open now - support a great cause and win amazing prizes.
Only 1000 tickets.

07/10/2024

"Connected" by Patricia Tyson, a proud Kamilaroi woman. An interpretation of women and children together.

05/09/2024

A lovely thank you today. Appreciated. 🙏