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

NSW abortion deserts: just three of 220 public hospitals provide terminations, research finds

Exclusive: All 15 health districts and the state’s health minister refuse to give public information on access to terminations

Melissa Davey, Nick Evershed and Donna Lu
Mon 16 Dec 2024

Just three of New South Wales’ 220 public hospitals are routinely providing abortions, according to research by the University of Sydney. The research, which maps lack of access to abortion in the state, also reveals that a majority of the state’s cities and towns are “abortion deserts”, meaning the nearest service is more than 160km away.

Abortion is basic healthcare that is legal in NSW. Despite the World Health Organization recommending that all public hospitals provide it, uncovering where it is offered, and under what circumstances, is difficult.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/dec/17/nsw-abortion-deserts-just-three-of-220-public-hospitals-provide-terminations-research-finds

16.12.2024

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Australia – Orange Hospital directs staff to no longer provide abortions to patients without ‘early pregnancy complications’

Exclusive by national regional affairs reporter Lucy Barbour
Thursday 7 November

An explicit ban on abortions for non-medical reasons has been laid down by the executive of a regional New South Wales public hospital, the ABC can reveal.

A leaked document shows that staff at Orange Health Service in Central West NSW can no longer provide abortions for patients with "no identified pregnancy complications".

Continued: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-08/orange-hospital-directs-staff-to-stop-providing-some-abortions/104537862

Repeat abortion: narrowing the contraception gap

Insight Plus, Issue 13 / 11 April 2022
Cate Swannell

AROUND 2000 repeat medical abortions per year could be averted if women were routinely prescribed long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) immediately following early medical abortion.

That’s the message from Australian researchers, published in the MJA, who found that just one in four women were provided with hormonal contraception within 60 days of their early medical abortion.

Continued: https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2022/13/repeat-abortions-narrowing-the-contraception-gap/

11.04.2022

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Australia – Birth control pills should be available over the counter, advocates say

Birth control pills should be available over the counter, advocates say
But Australian doctors group says plan for easier access to contraceptives raises ‘red flags’

Melissa Davey
Mon 22 Oct 2018

Women’s health and equality groups are at odds with the peak body for doctors as to whether the contraceptive pill should be made available in Australia over the counter.

It follows a commitment by Victoria’s opposition to make the contraceptive pill available over-the-counter from pharmacists if the coalition is elected in November. Under the plan, women would be required to visit their doctor in the first instance but able to obtain future courses of the pill from a pharmacist.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/oct/22/birth-control-pills-should-be-available-over-the-counter-advocates-say

Friendly Reminder: It’s 2018 And Abortion Is Still A Crime In NSW

Friendly Reminder: It’s 2018 And Abortion Is Still A Crime In NSW
by Sam Langford
11 September 2018

Well, it turns out that more than three quarters of people in NSW aren’t aware that abortion is still a criminal offence Australia’s biggest state. Here’s your grim reminder that yep, NSW still hasn’t gotten around to legalising abortion. Actually, NSW Parliament voted to keep abortion in the Crimes Act just last year.

A new study by the University of Sydney and James Cook University, published today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, surveyed NSW residents about their knowledge of abortion law. It turns out that popular understanding is wildly out of step with the actual law — the survey found that 76 percent of respondents had no idea that abortion is a criminal offence in NSW, and that 73 percent thought abortion should be decriminalised and regulated as a healthcare service.

Continued: http://junkee.com/abortion-crimes-act-nsw/174798

Australia – Three-quarters of people in NSW unaware abortion remains a criminal offence in state

Three-quarters of people in NSW unaware abortion remains a criminal offence in state
Survey finds 89% support legal changes to protect women seeking abortion from harassment

Michael McGowan
Mon 10 Sep 2018

Three-quarters of people in New South Wales are unaware that abortion remains a criminal offence in the state and almost as many believe it should be regulated as a healthcare service, a study has found.

Published on Tuesday in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, a survey of more than 1,000 people in NSW found that the vast majority of voters in NSW remain largely unaware of the legal status of abortion in the state.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/11/three-quarters-of-people-in-nsw-unaware-abortion-remains-a-criminal-offence-in-state

10.09.2018

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Tasmanian doctors fear Government reprisal if they speak out on abortion constraints

Tasmanian doctors fear Government reprisal if they speak out on abortion constraints

By Felicity Ogilvie
Tue June 12, 2018

An ABC investigation has encountered a culture of secrecy and fear surrounding the provision of surgical abortions in Tasmania.

While debate around providing surgical abortions in public hospitals unfolds in State Parliament, the medical community is doing what it can to make those services available now.

The closure of Tasmania's only abortion clinic in Hobart at the end of last year left women with limited options for getting surgical abortions.

Continued: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-13/abortion-figures-revealed-at-royal-hobart-hospital/9862034

Law Seeks to Curb Abortion Protests in Australia

Law Seeks to Curb Abortion Protests in Australia

May 19, 2018
Phil Mercer

SYDNEY — Protests outside abortion clinics are to be outlawed under new laws proposed in Australia's most populous state. The legislation will be debated in the coming days in the New South Wales parliament.

It is estimated that up to 80,000 Australian women terminate a pregnancy each year. While abortion laws vary across the country, in New South Wales the procedure isn't illegal if it safeguards a woman's mental or physical health.

Continued: https://www.voanews.com/a/law-seeks-curb-abortion-protests-australia/4401079.html

19.05.2018