Family planning organisation and abortion provider Marie Stopes warned earlier this week that Australian women face a confusing patchwork of state-based laws and service shortages that restrict access to abortions, based on where they live.

At the centre of these inconsistent laws is the gestational cut off – the point where the pregnant person is no longer the primary decision-maker and, instead, specific criteria must be met (generally, two doctors must agree that the abortion is necessary on medical and/or social grounds).

Gestational cut-off points vary from state to state. The Australian Capital Territory has no cut off. Others are set at 14 weeks (the Northern Territory), 16 weeks (Tasmania), 22 weeks (Queensland and the bill currently under debate in New South Wales), and 24 weeks (Victoria).

Read more: After 119 years, NSW is set to decriminalise abortion. Why has reform taken so long?