Australia is seeing a real push against abortion access right now and we need to talk about it more

Sarah Game in South Australia has introduced another bill targeting later term abortion access after her previous attempt failed. Robbie Katter in Queensland is still trying to stop nurses, midwives and pharmacists from prescribing abortion medication (MS-2 Step), which would make access harder, especially in regional areas. Katter also pushed the “born alive” bill despite medical organisations saying existing laws already cover neonatal care. Anti abortion MPs in QLD have repeatedly talked about winding back abortion laws. Publicly funded Catholic hospitals can still refuse abortion care on religious grounds. Mater in Brisbane continues refusing terminations under Catholic directives, including cases involving severe fetal abnormalities. Women have reported issues accessing miscarriage management and reproductive care through some religious hospital systems. Huge hospital networks like Mater, St Vincent’s and Calvary all operate under religious directives that can limit reproductive healthcare. What‘s really concerning is that it’s rarely one massive change all at once…It happens slowly through smaller restrictions that chip away at access over time. People in the US were told for years that Roe v Wade would never actually be overturned too. We can’t go back!