15 August 2021
By Naomi Neilson
In what has been praised as a “landmark achievement” by human rights lawyers, the Western Australian government has brought its legislation in line with the rest of Australia by passing a bill to create protective zones around abortion services. However, the state still has a long way to go to decriminalise and modernise its laws.
Western Australia has become the last state or territory in Australia to pass the Public Health Amendment (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2021 and has finally unified the country’s protective zones around abortion services. Within these zones, obstructive and harassing behaviour targeted at patients and staff is prohibited.