Abortion in Australia

History

Abortion in Australia has always been regulated by state (previously colonial) law. Before the end of the 19th century, each colony had adopted the Imperial Offences Against the Person Act 1861, which in turn was derived from English laws from 1837, 1828 and 1803, which made abortion illegal under any circumstance. Since then, abortion law has continued to evolve in each State by case law and changes in legislation.

A legal precedent concerning the legality of abortion was set in Australia in 1969, by the Menhennitt ruling in the Victorian Supreme case R v Davidson, which held that abortion was lawfully justified if "necessary to preserve the physical or mental health of the woman concerned, provided that the danger involved in the abortion did not outweigh the danger which the abortion was designed to prevent." The ruling was later largely adopted by courts in New South Wales (with the Levine ruling of 1971) and Queensland (McGuire ruling of 1986), and was influential in some other states. Over time this has come to be broadly defined so as to include the mental health of the woman, to which an unwanted pregnancy is interpreted as clinically injurious.

There are anti-abortion groups and individuals in Australia, some of whom stage protests outside clinics providing abortions. However, the wider public seems largely happy with the status quo, and most politicians prefer to avoid the topic entirely, if possible. However, a number of federal politicians have expressed anti-abortion views including Senator Ron Boswell (who was for a time National Party leader in the Senate), Barnaby Joyce (when he was a Senator, and is now Deputy Leader of the National Party) and Tony Abbott (when he was federal Health Minister), who in 2004 described the scale of abortion as a "national tragedy".

RU-486, a drug widely used overseas as an abortifacient, was effectively banned in Australia in 1996. This was because of a deal in the federal Senate between anti-abortion Tasmanian Senator Brian Harradine and the major parties to get his vote on other issues. Abortifacient drugs were designated as "restricted goods" for which approval from the health minister had to be obtained before the drug could even be assessed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), without which drugs cannot be sold in Australia, in effect vesting the minister with a veto over such drugs. Health Minister Tony Abbott, and previous ministers, used this process to prohibit the sale of RU-486 in Australia, by refusing the drug being assessed by the TGA. In late 2005, a private member's bill was introduced in the Senate and passed on 10 February 2006 to transfer the veto over abortifacients from the health minister to the TGA. The bill was approved by the Houses of Representatives in March 2006. Abbott responded to the vote by calling for the addition of a Medicare item number for funding of alternative counselling to pregnant women through church-affiliated groups to lower the national abortion rate, without success.

In 2010, while seeking election as Liberal Party leader, Abbott pledged not to make any changes to abortion laws, to ban funding for abortions through Medicare or to ban drug RU-486.

The violence seen in the United States against abortion providers has generally not occurred in Australia, with two exceptions. In 2001, Peter Knight forced his way into a Melbourne clinic carrying a rifle, kerosene, and equipment to lock the doors of the clinic. Three people attempted to disarm him after he pointed his rifle at a woman at the clinic. He shot and killed a security guard. Afterwards, Knight, described by the prosecution as a "hermit obsessed with killing abortion doctors" was convicted of murder. On 6 January 2009 A firebombing using Molotov cocktails was attempted at a medical clinic in Mosman Park, Western Australia. Faulty construction of the bombs limited damage to a single external burnt area, though if successful damage would have been severe. It is believed that the individuals who made the attack were responsible for graffiti "baby killers" on the site, indicating an anti-abortion reason for the attack. The site turned out to in fact not be an abortion clinic, though the attackers most likely were not aware of this. Another tactic adopted by anti-abortion campaigners is to form picket lines outside premises where abortions are being performed, this was also including the Suva Private hospital.

Australian Capital Territory

In the Australian Capital Territory, reference to abortion as a criminal offence were repealed by the Crimes (Abolition of Offence of Abortion) Act 2002. Before then abortion law was for many years governed by case law under sections 82-84 of the Crimes Act 1900 of New South Wales.

Since 2015, it is an offence to protest within 50 meters of an abortion clinic within the Australian Capital Territory (otherwise called "protest free zones").

Section 9 of the "Human Rights Act 2004 (ACT)" confirms that pre-born human life do not enjoy the right to life. Full-term abortions on demand are legal in the ACT as there are no gestational limits.

New South Wales and Norfolk Island

In New South Wales, abortions are unlawful under sections 82-84 of the Crimes Act 1900, but the interpretation of the law is subject to the Levine ruling, from R v Wald of 1971, itself derived from the Victorian Menhennitt ruling, which held an abortion to be legal if a doctor had an honest and reasonable belief that, due to 'any economic, social or medical ground or reason', the abortion was necessary to 'preserve the woman involved from serious danger to her life or physical or mental health which the continuance of the pregnancy would entail'.

This was expanded by the Kirby ruling of 1994, which extended the period during which health concerns might be considered from the duration of pregnancy to any period during the woman's life, even after the birth of the child. This arguably precludes any successful prosecutions for illegal abortions. Despite this, in 2006, a doctor, Suman Sood, was convicted of two counts of performing an illegal abortion where she failed to enquire as to whether a lawful reason for performing the abortion did exist.

Since July 1, 2016 all NSW laws also apply to the approximately 2,000 residents on Norfolk Island, under both the Norfolk Island Legislation Amendment Act 2015 and the Territories Legislation Amendment Act 2016 - because the Norfolk Legislative Assembly was abolished on July 1, 2015.

In August 2016, Greens MP Dr Mehreen Faruqi released an exposure draft of the Abortion Law Reform (Miscellaneous Acts Amendment) Bill 2016 to "Repeal sections 82-84 of the Crimes Act, relating to abortion offences; Provide for a 150m safe access zone around abortion clinics and service providers to ensure a patient’s right to medical privacy; and Require doctors to disclose conscientious objection at the start of the consultation and refer patients to another doctor who does not have such an objection or to the local Women’s Health NSW centre".

On the eve of the introduction of the bill on 23rd June 2016, it was removed from the order of business for the following day, despite being first in the order of precedence for months, scheduled and publicly announced. Mehreen Faruqi "introduced the first ever abortion law reform bill into NSW Parliament" on 11 August 2016.

Northern Territory

In the Northern Territory, abortions may be performed up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, except when there is a serious risk to the woman's health, when abortions are allowed up to 23 weeks. The 1974 legislation, based on earlier legislation in South Australia and the United Kingdom, legalised abortion if the risk to the woman's life or health is greater than it would be if the pregnancy were not terminated and it is likely that the child will be physically or mentally handicapped. An abortion must be approved by two medical practitioners and must be performed in a hospital.

Queensland

The McGuire ruling of 1986 declared abortion to be legal if necessary to preserve the woman from a serious danger to her life or health – beyond the normal dangers of pregnancy and childbirth – that would result if the pregnancy continued, and is not disproportionate to the danger being averted. Until 2008, abortion law in Queensland closely mirrored the law in Victoria. Abortions are carried out as "therapeutic miscarriages", performed by specialists, upon request of the patient after an appointment with their local GP. This procedure is only applicable on pregnancies < 22 weeks and is partly covered by Medicare or more-so by private healthcare insurers. In addition to this, abortions can be performed if a foetal defect is considered to be "inconsistent with life" – this has been narrowly interpreted to mean that the newborn would die immediately or shortly after birth. While this is the case under law, in practice doctors and family planning services generally allow abortions for other reasons, such as the mother not feeling ready to have a child.

South Australia

In South Australia, legislation in 1969 legalised abortion when necessary to protect the life or physical or mental health of the woman – taking into account the current and reasonably foreseeable future – or in cases when the child was likely to be born with serious handicaps. Abortions must be performed before a time limit of 28 weeks of pregnancy. Abortions must be performed in a hospital and be approved by two physicians, and are also subject to a residency requirement.(Patient must be a resident of South Australia). The hospital, dual approval and residency requirement may be waived in an emergency. Abortions in South Australia are available for free or low cost at some of the public health facilities including The Pregnancy Advisory Centre. This Pregnancy Advisory Centre is a registered hospital with doctors available for approval. Both medical and surgical abortions are performed.

Tasmania

In Tasmania, since 21 November 2013, abortions are allowed on request up to 16 weeks of pregnancy. After 16 weeks abortions can be performed up to birth of the child requiring consent of two doctors on medical or psychological grounds. The law also criminalises filming, "intimidation" and "protests" (where handing out information, offering pregnant mothers help and support, praying, and so forth is deemed intimidating and offensive) within 150 metres of abortion clinics ("protest free zones").

From 1925 until 2001, Tasmania's Criminal Code prohibited "unlawful abortion" without actually stating what was lawful or not. While it had never actually been prosecuted, it had been held that Victoria's Menhennit ruling of 1969 and New South Wales' Levine ruling applied in Tasmanian law. In late 2001, the Criminal Code was clarified to state that an abortion must be carried out under a set of criteria resembling those of the South Australian requirements.

Victoria

In Victoria, since 2008, abortions are allowed on request up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, with abortions after that time, up until the child's birth, requiring two doctors to agree that it is appropriate, based on the woman's current and future physical, psychological and social circumstances.

Before 2008, abortion law was based on the Victorian Crimes Act as interpreted by the Menhennitt ruling of 1969, in the case of R v Davidson. Under the ruling, abortions were legal if necessary to preserve the woman from a serious danger to her life or health – beyond the normal dangers of pregnancy and childbirth – that would result if the pregnancy continued, and is not disproportionate to the danger being averted. Menhennitt's ruling remained the basis for abortion law in Victoria for almost 40 years, until the Abortion Law Reform Act 2008 (Vic) formally decriminalised abortion.

Since 2016, it is an offence in Victoria to protest within 150 metres from any medical centre. These are called "protest free zones", where offering pregnant women information, help and support, or even prayer is considered offensive and intimidating.

Western Australia

In Western Australia, since 20 May 1998, abortions are allowed on request up to 20 weeks of pregnancy – subject to counselling by a medical practitioner other than the one performing the abortion – or when serious personal, family or social consequences will result to the woman if an abortion is not performed, when the life or physical or mental health of the woman is endangered and when the pregnancy causes serious danger to the woman's mental health. After 20 weeks of pregnancy abortions may only be performed if the fetus is likely to be born with severe medical problems – which must be confirmed by two independently appointed doctors. In the event of the woman being under 16 years of age one of her parents must be notified, except where permission has been granted by the Children's Court or the woman does not live with her parents.

Until 1998, Western Australian law apparently mirrored that of Queensland, though it was never clarified by case law or legislation. Following the 1998 announcement of the prosecution of two Perth doctors for performing an illegal abortion – the first such prosecution in over 30 years – a private member's bill was introduced by Cheryl Davenport, a member of the Australian Labor Party in the Upper House of the Western Australian parliament to amend the law.

Statistics

Due to the lack of consistent data collection standards across States and the differences in definitions, it is difficult or impossible to accurately quantify the number of abortions performed in Australia each year. There were an average of 75,700 Medicare-funded procedures that could result in an "abortive outcome" performed each year from 1995–2004, but it should be noted that this figure includes miscarriages as well as terminations. On the other hand, many women who have medical abortions performed at private hospitals may not claim the Medicare rebate.

South Australia is the only state which collects and publishes data on abortions. In 2002 there were 5,147 medical abortions performed in South Australia, or 17.2 per 1000 women aged 15–44. Projected nationally, this would suggest that about 73,300 abortions were performed nationwide. This does not take into account differences between states. For example, unpublished data from Western Australia estimates a rate of 19.4 terminations per 1000 women in the same age bracket, which would indicate about 82,700 abortions projected nationally.

The South Australian data also indicates that the vast majority of abortions performed 1994–2002 occurred before 14 weeks gestation. Less than 2% took place at or after 20 weeks.

Public opinion

Since at least the 1980s, opinion polls have shown a majority of Australians support abortion rights.