❓ Mrs. Stojkovski questions the Minister for Health on the need to update abortion care laws in WA, including full decriminalisation, and seeks information on stakeholder input. The Minister outlines the reasons for reform, announces a consultation period, and clarifies the scope of the review.
AnsweredQoN 736Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ABORTION
— LEGISLATIVE REFORM
736. Mrs J.M.C. STOJKOVSKI to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's announcement that it will be
modernising legislation governing abortion care in Western Australia.
Can the minister outline to the house why laws regarding abortion care need to
be updated, including the full
decriminalisation of abortion, and can the minister advise the house how women
and other stakeholders can provide input into the proposed legislative
changes?
— LEGISLATIVE REFORM
736. Mrs J.M.C. STOJKOVSKI to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's announcement that it will be
modernising legislation governing abortion care in Western Australia.
Can the minister outline to the house why laws regarding abortion care need to
be updated, including the full
decriminalisation of abortion, and can the minister advise the house how women
and other stakeholders can provide input into the proposed legislative
changes?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for her question.
Labor
has a proud track record of ensuring that women can access legal and safe
abortion care in Western Australia. Many members will know that in 1998,
Labor member Cheryl Davenport introduced a private member's bill from
opposition in the Legislative Council. At that time, it was nation-leading
reform, but concessions were made as part of that bill. It was a tight vote and
a conscience vote, as was appropriate, and therefore concessions were made. We
now have 25 years' worth of data and evidence to show us that although
the legislation was nation leading for a long time, it has created unnecessary
hurdles for women. Since then, we have seen other jurisdictions catch up very
recently and introduce their own frameworks to provide legal access to
terminations. Many women under the current framework have had to travel
interstate to access the care they need, despite it being based on best medical advice. The legal framework is challenging
to navigate. In addition, the obligations and, in some cases, the reporting that is required for practitioners are also challenging and unclear under the
legal framework, particularly for later gestational terminations.
I
am pleased to announce that on Sunday we opened up four weeks of consultation
on reforming the legislation. We are seeking to introduce legislation early
next year that will fully decriminalise and streamline access to care. We want
to review a number of requirements, including the GP referral and counselling
requirements, the upper gestational limit of 20 weeks and the role of the
ministerial panel after 20 weeks. We want to hear from women who have accessed
abortions, from practitioners and healthcare workers who support women with
abortion care, and other interested stakeholders. The aim of the law will be to
safeguard the future of abortion care and ensure the dignity, privacy and
safety of patients, and provide clarity for practitioners as they navigate
those services. To be clear, abortion in Western Australia is legal, and has
been since 1998. We are not consulting on whether it should be legal. It is
legal, full stop. We are consulting on how we can provide access to this legal
healthcare option for women in Western Australia. To date, we have already had
7 000 responses. That is fantastic and I encourage people to have their say.
Labor
has a proud track record of ensuring that women can access legal and safe
abortion care in Western Australia. Many members will know that in 1998,
Labor member Cheryl Davenport introduced a private member's bill from
opposition in the Legislative Council. At that time, it was nation-leading
reform, but concessions were made as part of that bill. It was a tight vote and
a conscience vote, as was appropriate, and therefore concessions were made. We
now have 25 years' worth of data and evidence to show us that although
the legislation was nation leading for a long time, it has created unnecessary
hurdles for women. Since then, we have seen other jurisdictions catch up very
recently and introduce their own frameworks to provide legal access to
terminations. Many women under the current framework have had to travel
interstate to access the care they need, despite it being based on best medical advice. The legal framework is challenging
to navigate. In addition, the obligations and, in some cases, the reporting that is required for practitioners are also challenging and unclear under the
legal framework, particularly for later gestational terminations.
I
am pleased to announce that on Sunday we opened up four weeks of consultation
on reforming the legislation. We are seeking to introduce legislation early
next year that will fully decriminalise and streamline access to care. We want
to review a number of requirements, including the GP referral and counselling
requirements, the upper gestational limit of 20 weeks and the role of the
ministerial panel after 20 weeks. We want to hear from women who have accessed
abortions, from practitioners and healthcare workers who support women with
abortion care, and other interested stakeholders. The aim of the law will be to
safeguard the future of abortion care and ensure the dignity, privacy and
safety of patients, and provide clarity for practitioners as they navigate
those services. To be clear, abortion in Western Australia is legal, and has
been since 1998. We are not consulting on whether it should be legal. It is
legal, full stop. We are consulting on how we can provide access to this legal
healthcare option for women in Western Australia. To date, we have already had
7 000 responses. That is fantastic and I encourage people to have their say.
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