• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
What Are The Abortion Laws In Australia?

Home> News

Published 03:48 7 Jul 2022 GMT+1

What Are The Abortion Laws In Australia?

The US Supreme Court's decision to overturn federal protections for abortion, many in Australia are wondering what their rights are.

Joel Duggan

Joel Duggan

With the recent reversal of the Roe v Wade federal legal protection of abortion in the United States, many in Australia have been considering our own abortion laws with worry that they may face a similar attack.

Unlike the US, Australia has never had federal protection of abortion.

Instead, those protections have been left to the states and territories to legislate for themselves.

The only federal involvement in abortion is through the government-funded Medicare system, which subsidises abortions as a health service.

Advert

Australia’s states and territories have legislated abortion in various ways at different points in time, but as of 2022 abortion is legal all across Australia.

However, ease of access to an abortion can differ based on the state.

Guy Corbishley / Alamy Stock Photo

Although all states guarantee access up to at least 16 weeks (with many states guaranteeing it up until around 20-24 weeks), beyond that limit the approval of two doctors is normally required.

The exception is the ACT, which poses no gestational limit and allows abortion at any time without doctor approval.

Advert

Full legalisation of abortion is a relatively new phenomenon in Australia.

Western Australia was the first state to decriminalise abortion in 1998, followed by the ACT in 2002, Victoria in 2008, Tasmania in 2013, the Northern Territory in 2017, Queensland in 2018, NSW in 2019 and South Australia in 2021.

Before this slew of reforms, abortions were normally only allowed in situations deemed medically necessary.

In addition to Australia’s decriminalisation laws, there are a series of other laws upheld by the states that further protect abortion rights.

In all jurisdictions, there are restrictions on anti-abortion protests, which prevent them from harassing visitors within a certain proximity of abortion clinics.

Advert

Tasmania was the first to implement this restriction in 2013; Western Australia was the last to do so in 2021.

Additionally, putative fathers are not required to be notified of the abortion, nor do they have legal grounds to request an injunction preventing it.

Minors also do not need to notify their parents of the abortion, with the exception of Western Australia.

Nor are there any waiting periods imposed upon those in need of an abortion.

Overall, despite decriminalisation being fairly recent, Australia is a country that has a solid legal framework for guaranteeing the right to an abortion, particularly in comparison to many places across the United States now.

Advert


Featured Image Credit: Ivan Kmit / Alamy Stock Photo

Topics: Australia

Joel Duggan
Joel Duggan

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

7 hours ago
8 hours ago
  • 7 hours ago

    Man who killed twisted murderer Jeffrey Dahmer explains why he did it

    The notorious serial killer was killed in 1994

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    Elon Musk forms his 'own political party' after fallout with Trump

    Looks like the tech billionaire isn't done with politics after all

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    Woman who lives in underground bunker with no windows reveals how much she saves on rent

    At least she's ready for the apocalypse

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    Man who chose to live underwater for 100 days to see what would happen to his body reveals shocking impact it had

    Dr Joseph Dituri spent 100 days at sea in 2023

    News
  • British woman who moved to Australia shares harsh reality of what it's like to live there
  • People are just finding out what the 'Disney hug rule' is at theme parks around the world
  • British couple expecting first baby in days issue desperate plea as they face deportation from Australia
  • Woman who can remember everything that happens in her life shares awful downside of the ability