By national regional affairs reporter Lucy Barbour and Lucy Sweeney
May 31, 2025
Every week, Australians seeking a legal form of health care are forced to traverse their home states and territories — sometimes crossing borders — to access an abortion.
Depending on where someone lives, and how far into the pregnancy they are, the path to this time-critical procedure can be obstructed by hurdles that amplify fear, trauma and financial disadvantage.
Abortion pills to be easier to access after Greens bill passes in NSW despite opposition from Tony Abbott
Legislation brings state in line with others, as opposition leader says he refuses to cave to ‘Americanisation of NSW politics’ after grassroots campaign
Natasha May
Wed 14 May
New South Wales women will have easier access to abortion pills after the state passed a bill allowing nurse practitioners and registered midwives to prescribe the medication.
The bill – which aims to improve access to healthcare for women in rural and regional areas – passed the lower house on Wednesday, despite vocal opposition including by former prime minister Tony Abbott.
By Michael McGowan
May 12, 2025
NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman is refusing to say whether he will back legislation to amend the state’s abortion laws so experienced nurses and midwives can prescribe medical terminations up to nine weeks’ gestation.
The state’s lower house will this week vote on a bill put forward by NSW Greens MP Amanda Cohn to widen abortion access, after a NSW Health review found so-called “abortion deserts” across the state were undermining the landmark 2019 legislation which decriminalised it.
By Joanna Woodburn, ABC Central West
March 16, 2025
New South Wales Health is refusing to detail what work it is doing to improve access to abortion services at public hospitals across the state.
The department is reviewing its policies governing termination of pregnancy, after its own report on the state's current abortion laws specifically recommended that ways to balance the rights of conscientiously objecting health practitioners with a woman's entitlement to receive timely care be examined.
Continued: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-17/pressure-on-nsw-health-to-improve-abortion-access/105032522
By Lani Oataway, ABC Central West
Feb 9, 2025
A New South Wales Health review of abortion legislation has recommended the government consider changing the law to allow endorsed midwives and nurse practitioners to prescribe medicine for early terminations.
It would mean at least 900 more health practitioners across the state could prescribe MS-2 Step — a two-part medication that stops pregnancy up to 63 days after a menstrual period — aside from doctors.
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.
By Joanna Woodburn, ABC Central West
Nov 28, 2024
A regional New South Wales hospital is carrying out a "deep look" internal audit to identify whose idea it was to have an abortion ban in place and why it was endorsed by executive staff.
Western NSW Local Health District (LHD) head Mark Spittal has spoken for the first time since it emerged Orange Hospital had introduced restrictions on the provision of abortion services.
24 November 2024
Oliver Jacques
An Australian National University bioethicist has called for clearer guidelines on when doctors can conscientiously object to performing abortions as calls grow for the service to be provided more widely in NSW.
… Bioethicist Dr Nathan Emmerich recently published a paper which questioned the scope by which doctors could choose not to do abortions due to personal ethical concerns.
Exclusive by national regional affairs reporter Lucy Barbour
Tuesday 12 November
The ABC has uncovered fresh evidence that another public hospital in regional New South Wales has implemented a formal abortion ban. Queanbeyan Hospital was providing surgical terminations for fetal anomalies and medical reasons. But an ABC investigation revealed the service stopped abruptly in August, after a woman was turned away on the day of her planned procedure.
In response to that woman's experience, health practitioners warned of an "unspoken ban". But the ABC has now obtained an email that proves the hospital has formally ceased providing the time-critical health care.
By Lucy Barbour, with illustrations by Emma Machan
Tuesday 29 October
A mother of two is browsing the racks of kids' clothing to pass time before her scheduled surgery, when she receives the call that almost breaks her.
"I'm really sorry, but we can't do the procedure today," an apologetic voice tells her.
Her lips tremble as she puts a hand to her mouth, struggling to take in the information. She hangs up the phone and stops still, frozen in shock.
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