Nurses and midwifes allowed to prescribe abortions in NSW bringing state in line with rest of Australia
An amended bill to address the address the state's 'abortion deserts' was passed in NSW parliament's lower house on Wednesday.
It was put forward by Greens MP Amanda Cohn to remove barriers to abortion for women in areas outside major cities.
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The bill will still need to return to the state's upper house, which does not sit again until May 27.
Sixty-five lower house MPs supported the change in a conscience vote, while 20 were opposed.
Political leaders lamented the 'Americanisation' of the debate around increasing access.
NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman alleged in parliament that a prominent campaigner threatened to derail his leadership if he supported the bill.
Anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe told him she would 'lead a public campaign aimed at encouraging a grassroots opposition to you as Liberal leader,' Speakman told MPs under parliamentary privilege.
'I will not cave to brazen bullying like this, nor to the Americanisation of NSW politics,' he said.
Speakman supported the bill, calling it 'a shadow of its former self'.
The pared-back bill has been narrowed along guidelines from the national regulator, allowing qualified nurse practitioner and endorsed midwives to prescribe abortion medication known as MS-2 Step.
'It can no longer be characterised as a 'radical Greens bill',' Speakman said.
Premier Chris Minns backed his political rival, suggesting Dr Howe had spread an 'enormous amount of misinformation and lies' on her social media channels.
'It's whipped up a lot of good people in the community believing that the legislative changes are far more extensive than they in fact were,' Minns said.
AAP FactCheck in March debunked the Adelaide Law School professor's claim the bill would 'force the closure of all Christian and Catholic hospitals unless they perform abortions'.
The push to expand abortion access came after revelations a woman was denied an abortion on the day of her planned procedure at Queanbeyan District Hospital, in the southeast of NSW, in August 2024.
Another public hospital in Orange, in the Central Tablelands, restricted terminations for non-medical reasons, triggering Health Minister Ryan Park to intervene and reinstate abortions without restrictions in October 2024.
Abortion was permitted by the courts in NSW in 1971 and decriminalised in 2019 but is not always accessible, particularly in rural and regional areas.
Rules for abortion acrosss Australia
The ACT, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia have also permitted qualified nurses and midwives to prescribe abortion drugs following advice from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
But when it comes to abortion, there are no federal laws and the approach varies across Australia, according to state and territory governments and national abortion provider and advocate MSI Australia.
In the ACT, gestational limits include nine weeks for medical abortions and 16 weeks for surgical abortions, but services are accessible after that time with referrals from a doctor
Nurses and midwives in the ACT are also permitted to prescribe drugs for medical terminations
In the Northern Territory and Victoria, abortion is legal up to 24 weeks gestation, and permitted after that in special or emergency circumstances with approval from two doctors
In Queensland, abortion is legal up to 22 weeks, and permitted after that in special or emergency circumstances with approval from two doctors.
Nurses and midwives in Queensland are also permitted to prescribe and administer drugs for medical terminations
In NSW, abortion is legal up to 22 weeks, and permitted after that in special or emergency circumstances with approval from two doctors.
Nurses and midwives will be able to prescribe drugs for medical terminations up to nine weeks gestation under legislation before parliament.
In Tasmania, abortion is legal up to 16 weeks, and permitted after that in special or emergency circumstances with approval from two doctors.
In South Australia, abortion is legal up to 22 weeks and six days, and permitted after that in special or emergency circumstances with approval from two doctors.
Nurses and midwives are also permitted to prescribe drugs for medical terminations.
In Western Australia, abortion is legal up to 23 weeks, and permitted after that in special or emergency circumstances with approval from two doctors.
Nurses and midwives in Western Australia are also permitted to prescribe drugs for medical terminations.
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