Australia – Scott Morrison sought advice to obstruct Nauru asylum seekers from accessing abortions, documents reveal

Advocate claims Abbott government was concerned asylum seekers and refugees were using medical transfers as a back door to get into Australia

Krishani Dhanji
Sat 7 Jun 2025

Scott Morrison overrode medical advice in the case of an asylum seeker in offshore detention trying to access an abortion, and had previously sought advice that would effectively prevent access to terminations entirely, ministerial advice reveals.

Documents released under freedom of information laws show Morrison, in 2014 as immigration minister, had sought advice to deny the transfer of women to a hospital on the Australian mainland to access termination services before 20 weeks’ gestation.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jun/08/scott-morrison-sought-advice-to-obstruct-nauru-asylum-seekers-from-accessing-abortions-documents-reveal-ntwnfb

07.06.2025

News

David Manne

Jana Favero

medical transfer from Nauru

Peter Dutton

Philip Moss

Refugee Council of Australia

Three pregnant refugees and nearly 50 others denied medical transfers from Nauru

Three pregnant refugees and nearly 50 others denied medical transfers from Nauru
Asylum seekers and refugees awaiting surgeries, abortions and other treatment prevented from having overseas transfers by Nauru hospital committee

Ben Doherty
Sunday 20 August 2017

Nearly 50 refugees and asylum seekers held on Nauru – including at least three women seeking to terminate a pregnancy – are being refused, or not considered for, overseas medical treatment, in defiance of doctors’ recommendations.

Three pregnant refugee women on Nauru have asked to terminate their pregnancies, for cultural, familial and health reasons. Doctors’ requests for them to be transferred overseas for the procedure have been rejected. Terminations are illegal on Nauru, a devoutly Christian country.

Continued at source: The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/21/three-pregnant-refugees-and-nearly-50-others-denied-medical-transfers-from-nauru

20.08.2017