Nurse practitioners and authorised midwives across the territory will be eligible to prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol (MS-2 Step).
ACT nurse practitioners and authorised midwives will be able to prescribe abortion medication under new legislation passed last week despite strong opposition from Canberra Liberals.
Under the Health (Improved Abortion Access) Amendment Act 2024, endorsed in the ACT Legislative Assembly on 25 June, health practitioners declining to provide abortion services will be required to refer patients to another practitioner or facility offering those services, bringing the ACT in line with other states and territories.
The decision to ease restrictions surrounding abortion medication prescribing within the ACT was made following changes implemented by the TGA in June last year to expand prescribing rules nationwide to include nurse practitioners, in addition to removing additional training, certification, and registration requirements for GPs.
The legislation also complements the accessible abortion scheme introduced by ACT government, in partnership with MSI Australia, offering free medical and surgical abortion services up to 16 weeks gestation from April last year onwards.
Nearly half of Liberal MPs voted against passing the bill into law, despite support from Opposition leader Elizabeth Lee who described the changes to conscientious or religious objections as a “sensible amendment”, according to The Canberra Times.
“Today’s vote in the Assembly shows that the right to accessible abortion care cannot be taken for granted, with only four of the eight opposition members who voted supporting the bill,” ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith was quoted as saying.
“As the election approaches, ACT women will be wondering whether they can trust the conservative Canberra Liberals with their reproductive rights.”
