Australia – Sussan Ley says Priya’s Law criticism ‘insensitive’, shrugs off leadership challenge

Sussan Ley has hit out at claims that women who have abortions could benefit from a new law but stopped short of slamming her own MPs who made the comments.

Ria Pandey
November 5, 2025

Sussan Ley has hit out at claims made by fellow Liberal Andrew Hastie over a landmark paid parental leave law but stopped short of condemning the MP by name as she shrugged off a possible plot by him against her leadership.

The Opposition Leader condemned claims that women who have late-term abortions could be covered by a new law designed to support grieving parents as “insensitive”.

Continued: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/pregnancy/sussan-ley-says-priyas-law-criticism-insensitive-shrugs-off-leadership-challenge/news-story/ee9966f1cf784e44a9c9206c0e06a0e4

05.11.2025

Australia – Riverina abortion access remains ‘postcode lottery’ six years after legalisation, forum told

3 November 2025
By Erin Hee

Abortion was decriminalised in NSW six years ago, but access still remains a postcode lottery for people in regional Australia.

Hoping to tackle the ongoing issue where people in the Riverina are unable to “fully exercise the reproductive rights they’re entitled to”, Wagga Women’s Health Centre (WWHC) has been hosting forums to encourage people to come forward and share their experiences and understand what their options and rights are.

Continued: https://regionriverina.com.au/riverina-abortion-access-remains-postcode-lottery-six-years-after-legalisation-forum-told/110383/

03.11.2025

Wagga Women's Health Centre

Australia – Why politicians are talking about abortions again

November 2, 2025
Hosts: Billi FitzSimons • Sam Koslowski
Podcast – 12:41 minutes

Last week, late-term abortions came up as a point of contention in Australia’s Parliament.

It’s all because of a new proposed bill that would make it illegal for companies to cancel paid parental leave if a baby dies or is born stillborn.

So what’s the connection between that and late-term abortions? And how common actually are late term abortions?

Continued: https://thedailyaus.com.au/podcast/why-politicians-are-talking-about-abortions-again

02.11.2025

parental leave for abortion

Baby Priya brought compassion to the parliament. Then four men hijacked the debate

Jacqueline Maley
November 2, 2025

Politics can be a cynical and nasty business, but outbreaks of grace and compassion do occur. One happened on Wednesday during a parliamentary debate for the second reading speech of “Baby Priya’s Bill”. MP after MP rose to speak with sensitivity about one of life’s most devastating experiences – the birth of a stillborn baby.

The bill will amend workplace laws to ensure employee entitlements to parental leave extend to parents whose baby has been stillborn, or who has tragically died in infancy. The bill is named after baby Priya, who was born prematurely at 24 weeks in June 2024. For six weeks, she battled for life in the neonatal intensive care unit. Then she died.

Continued: https://archive.is/bgAUt
(https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/baby-priya-brought-compassion-to-the-parliament-then-four-men-hijacked-the-debate-20251031-p5n6s7.html)

Australia – Barnaby Joyce and Andrew Hastie rebuked for ‘playing politics’ on abortion in debate on stillbirth leave

Experts warn the fearmongering about late-term terminations is straight out of the anti-abortion handbook

Tory Shepherd, Krishani Dhanji and Josh Butler
Thu 30 Oct 2025

A group of Coalition parliamentarians, including Barnaby Joyce and Andrew Hastie, have seized on a proposed new law to give paid parental leave to parents of a child who is stillborn or dies, arguing it should not be available to anyone needing a late-term abortion.

A senior doctor has labelled the comments as “terrible, cynical, awful” things to say about an often heartbreaking decision, as experts point out that the vast majority of later terminations are forced by major health issues and warn fearmongering about the issue is straight out of the anti-abortion handbook.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/oct/30/abortion-stillbirth-leave-barnaby-joyce-andrew-hastie-playing-politics

Australia – Hastie, Joyce ignite late-term abortion fight over paid leave for stillbirth law

By Natassia Chrysanthos
October 29, 2025

Four Coalition MPs have renewed a debate over “late-term abortions” in federal parliament, raising concern that laws guaranteeing paid leave for parents of stillborn children will be used by mothers whose pregnancies are terminated.

Outspoken MPs Andrew Hastie and Barnaby Joyce aired the issue during debate over “Baby Priya’s Bill” – a proposed amendment to existing laws that would ensure employers can’t cancel paid parental leave because a child is stillborn or dies.

Continued: https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/hastie-joyce-ignite-late-term-abortion-fight-over-paid-leave-for-stillbirth-law-20251029-p5n6c4.html

World Contraception Day reminds us that access to contraception is a human right

Sustainable Population Australia
26 September 2025

World Contraception Day (WCD) is a day of observation recognised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFP). The central focus of WCD is ‘a world where every pregnancy is desired’.

Sustainable Population Australia (SPA) upholds the rights of women to control their bodies. As a result of the withdrawal of USAID, SPA calls on the Australian Government to step up and provide additional assistance for family planning in its aid budget. In Australia, women should not be denied access to contraception by health professionals.

Continued; https://newshub.medianet.com.au/2025/09/expert-alert-world-contraception-day-reminds-us-that-access-to-contraception-is-a-human-right/120426/

26.09.2025

News

Michael Bayliss

Peter Strachan

Sustainable Population Australia

USAID

World Contraception Day

Australia – The public hospital patients who ended up paying abortion clinics for miscarriage care

By Emma Pollard
Monday 22 September

Women having miscarriages say they were denied surgical care at the public Mater Mothers’ Hospital in Brisbane because of its religious policies on abortion.

Two women have told ABC News they ended up going to an abortion clinic because the Catholic-run hospital, which receives some taxpayer funding, would not provide them with a surgical procedure when they were having what’s called a missed miscarriage.

Continued; https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-23/qld-mater-miscarriage-care-catholic-hospital-abortion/105781022

Australia – Can a hospital hold a conscience?

22 September 2025
Jasmine Davis

When I first entered medical school and heard the term “conscientious objection”, I was slightly confused. Having been a war history enthusiast in high school, a conscientious objector to me had always been associated with individuals refusing military service.

I quickly learned from ethics tutorials in medical school that the term had moved from the battlefields to our hospitals. In the context of reproductive healthcare (most often abortion), and now voluntary assisted dying (VAD), conscientious objection occurs when a doctor or other healthcare provider refuses to participate in these practices due to ethical, moral or philosophical beliefs.

Continued; https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2025/37/can-a-hospital-hold-a-conscience/

22.09.2025

Commentary

belief-based care denial

conscientious objection

hospitals and care denial

institutional conscientious objection

Jasmine Davis

United Nations Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls

voluntary assisted dying

Australia – Improving Abortion Access And Care For Victorian Women

Thursday 11 September 2025
Premier of Victoria

The Allan Labor Government is making it safer and easier for women to access abortion services closer to home – by boosting services at Victoria’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Hubs.

Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas today announced Ultrasound Grants for the total value of $350,000 for our sexual and reproductive health hub network to purchase pelvic ultrasound equipment and support related training – so that more women can access no to low-cost medical abortion care, closer to home.

Continued; https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/improving-abortion-access-and-care-victorian-women

11.09.2025