Blog
The Abortion Legislation Reform Bill 2023
Friday September 22, 2023
The Abortion Legislation Reform Bill 2023 was introduced into WA Parliament on 21 June 2023, and passed without amendment on 21 September 2023.
Throughout the debate, AMA (WA) advocacy focused on patient safety, and during consideration of this issue we wrote to every Member of State Parliament and held briefings with Western Australian politicians.
The AMA (WA) supported a review of the existing legislative provisions and advocated for a number of changes introduced by the Bill, including abolishing mandatory counselling for early-stage abortions and the removal of abortion as a criminal issue.
Critically, legislation is only one aspect in the delivery of abortion healthcare. WA needs doctors with required training, services need to be accessible, and there must be equality of access across the State, without compromising patient safety. The AMA (WA) has highlighted workforce shortages, the importance of medical workforce planning, and the need for improved training opportunities for WA doctors.
Key documents:
- AMA (WA) Position Statement on Abortion Legislation Reform Bill 2023
- AMA (WA) Correspondence to Minister for Health – 14 August 2023
- AMA (WA) Correspondence to Minister for Health – 04 August 2023
- Abortion Legislation Reform Bill 2023 as introduced
- Abortion Legislation Reform Bill Explanatory Memorandum
- AMA (WA) Submission to the Abortion Legislation – Proposal for Reform in WA (Dec. 2022)
- WA Govt. Discussion Paper – Abortion Legislation – Proposal for Reform in WA (Nov. 2022)
