Key facts
- Victorian Labor is deploying new portable ultrasound machines to 20 sexual and reproductive health hubs.
- The ultrasound machines cost $480,000 and aim to confirm early pregnancies sooner.
- The measures are intended to make medical abortion easier to access within the first nine weeks of gestation, particularly for women in regional Victoria.
- Abortion was decriminalized in Victoria in 2008, with terminations permitted up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, or later with two doctors' agreement.
- Victorian opposition leader Jess Wilson stated abortion laws would not change under a Liberal and Nationals government.
- One Nation's national platform pledges to 'seek every opportunity to roll back brutal and extreme abortion law'.
The Victorian Labor government is placing reproductive rights at the forefront of its election campaign by announcing measures to improve access to medical abortions. Deputy Premier Gabrielle Williams and Health Minister Ingrid Stitt are set to unveil the rollout of new portable ultrasound machines across the state's 20 sexual and reproductive health hubs. These machines, costing $480,000, are intended to help confirm early pregnancies sooner, facilitating medical abortions within the crucial nine-week gestation period, particularly benefiting women in regional Victoria who may face longer travel distances for scans.
Since abortion was decriminalized in Victoria in 2008, Labor has worked to enhance the safety and accessibility of public abortion care, including introducing safe access zones around clinics in 2015 and establishing mobile and virtual women's health clinics. The virtual clinic, in particular, reported that nearly 60% of its appointments in its first year supported medical abortion.
Labor's initiative comes amid concerns that One Nation could seek to restrict abortion access. The party's national platform includes seeking opportunities to "roll back brutal and extreme abortion law." While federal leader Pauline Hanson has expressed a less restrictive stance on first-trimester abortions, state leaders have made more absolute statements. One Nation's Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, has previously described Victoria's abortion laws as "some of the most draconian on the planet." The Victorian opposition leader, Jess Wilson, has emphatically stated that abortion laws would not change under a Liberal and Nationals government. However, Labor argues that due to current polling, One Nation could become an "equal partner" in a hung parliament, potentially limiting the Coalition's ability to resist One Nation's agenda on abortion.