Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the law change was about ensuring abortion services were safe and accessible in Canberra. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Nurse practitioners and authorised midwives will be able to prescribe abortion medication under changes to ACT law.
Currently in Canberra only doctors can write a script for abortion medication.
The Health (Improved Abortion Access) Amendment Act 2024 keeps the Territory in step with changes made by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in 2023 to remove restrictions on health practitioners who prescribe and dispense the abortion medication MS-2 Step (mifepristone and misoprostol).
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said allowing nurse practitioners and authorised midwives (with the relevant training and qualifications) to prescribe the medication would help reduce barriers to timely access.
“Improved access to abortion services will allow Canberra women to obtain appropriate, safe care, and to avoid potentially detrimental impacts to their mental and physical health and wellbeing,” she said.
“This change also supports the government’s ongoing work to ensure that Canberra’s highly skilled nurse practitioners and authorised midwives can work to their full scope of practice.”
Changes have also been made to require health practitioners who decline to provide abortion services on religious or other conscientious grounds to either refer individuals to another practitioner or facility, or to give information to their patients on how to find such a provider.
Previously there had been no legal requirement for a practitioner to go any further than to inform a patient that they had a conscientious objection.
Ms Stephen-Smith said this brought the ACT into line with all other states and territories when it came to a health practitioner who had a conscientious objection to abortion care.
“Women and people who can become pregnant should be able to make decisions about their healthcare based on what is best for them and their body,” she said.
“Referrals [if a practitioner has a conscientious objection] are best practice.”
The upcoming October election also got a mention during the debate on the law change.
The Canberra Liberals were able to take a conscience vote on the bill, with Ginninderra MLAs Peter Cain and Elizabeth Kikkert, Murrumbidgee MLA Ed Cocks and Yerrabi MLA James Milligan voting against the amendments.
Murrumbidgee MLA Jeremy Hanson was not present for the vote.
Ms Stephen-Smith said this showed the right to accessible abortion care in the Territory couldn’t be taken for granted.
“As the election approaches, ACT women will be wondering whether they can trust the conservative Canberra Liberals with their reproductive rights,” she said.
“[The] vote shows they can’t.”
She also said she was “surprised” Shadow Health Minister Leanne Castley chose not to speak during the debate.
“I think that in itself speaks volumes.”
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