(Update, 30 September 2019)

Following one of the longest debates in the NSW Parliament’s history, involving around 72 hours of discussion and over 100 amendments proposed, laws to remove abortions from the Crimes Act and regulate them as a medical procedure passed.

The final bill is not the same as the bill I introduced on 1 August, or the one that passed the lower house on 8 August, however the changes do not create any new barriers for women accessing healthcare, with changes largely codifying current health practices and clarifying existing professional obligations.

The need to end a pregnancy is a private healthcare matter that women should be able to freely discuss with their treating doctors; it is not a criminal matter. This is an historic reform that has been decades in the making and is a step forward for women in this state. Read my speech in reply: HERE and my oped in New Daily detailing the longstanding tradition of conscience votes: HERE