Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The New South Wales abortion ruling is a milestone for the state, says premier Gladys Berejiklian
Abortion has been decriminalised across Australia after the last remaining state where it was illegal, New South Wales (NSW), voted to reform its laws.
The bill, passed on Thursday, overturns a 119-year-old law which had been criticised by opponents as archaic.
The legislation had generated weeks of heated debate and deeply divided the state's conservative government.
Previously, abortions were possible in NSW only if a doctor deemed there was "serious risk" to a woman's health.
The legislation was passed 26-14 in the state's upper house after discussions about more than 100 possible amendments. It has already been approved by the upper house.
The law makes it legal for terminations to be conducted up to 22 weeks into a woman's pregnancy - or later if two doctors agree.
Image copyright EPA Image caption The debate over the bill prompted protests on both sides
The reform had been strongly opposed by some activists and MPs who raised objections due to their personal beliefs, as well as concerns about late-term abortions.
But last-minute amendments ultimately persuaded some conservative MPs, and the bill drew support from other parties.
"The current law has meant women and doctors have a threat of 10 years in jail for making this decision and that's not okay," said Labor MP Penny Sharpe, one of the bill's co-sponsors.
"This is a massive step forward for women in this state."
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LacklustreFriend on September 26th, 2019 at 12:53 UTC »
Title is somewhat misleading. Abortion was already legal across Australia with the exception of one state (New South Wales), which has now completely decriminalized it. Title makes it sound like it's federal legislation or High Court decision.
Prior to this law change in NSW, one could still get an abortion, but it required a doctor (typically a local GP) to sign off on it, and confirm the abortion was due to "any economic, social or medical ground or reason", which in practice meant restrictions on abortions were minimal - especially because GP visits are free here in Australia. This meant abortion in NSW was only "illegal" in the sense that it was illegal to get one without having a doctor sign off on it. What this law change really does in practice is just remove some bureaucracy and make getting an abortion more conveniently, which is a far-cry from title's implication that abortion was previously inaccessible across Australia.
---TheFierceDeity--- on September 26th, 2019 at 11:51 UTC »
Some minor context: It wasn't illegal in NSW in the way you would think. It's just over the years the various more progressive premiers who knew they couldn't get the numbers to outright leaglize it put in a billion loopholes, so you could get an abortion here, it's just the clinics had to have the doctors do a pile of paperwork to "approve" it.
Now they don't have to, you can just go get an abortion and you don't have to give your life story before hand.
YourBestMateRobbo on September 26th, 2019 at 10:03 UTC »
it was already 'legal' as far as doctors citing health reasons for abortions they carried out even if there was not immediate medical concern