South Australia last week became the final Australian jurisdiction to partially decriminalise abortion.

The Termination of Pregnancy Bill passed the state’s upper house last Tuesday, meaning abortion will be moved out of the criminal code and instead regulated under health law.

This change paves the way for improved access to abortion, especially for rural women. Abortions can now be provided beyond selected hospitals, and women no longer need to have been South Australian residents for two months or more to access an abortion.

While this is a positive step, important legal hurdles to abortion access remain in SA and around the country.