Govt pledges free abortions in Australian ‘first’

The move comes as abortion pill sponsor bids for nurses to have prescribing rights
Sarah Simpkins
ACT Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith. Photo: Wikimedia.
ACT Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith. Photo: Wikimedia.

The push is on to free up access to abortion in Australia, with the country’s biggest provider calling for nurses to prescribe medical abortion and a pledge by one jurisdiction to make all terminations free for residents.

In contrast with the US, where the recent Roe v Wade reversal removed women’s constitutional right to termination, advocates in Australia are trying to facilitate access to abortions, particularly in rural areas.