The first bill to re-criminalise abortion in the nation’s history passed South Australia’s upper house last night – but failed in the lower house despite the support of the premier and opposition leader.
Abortion was decriminalised in all states and territories by 2024, but there have been multiple recent attempts to put it back in the criminal act.
The latest bill to criminalise late-term abortions passed South Australia’s upper house by one vote last night, with the help of the votes of the three newly elected One Nation MLCs.
MLC Sarah Game introduced the legislation, which was created with anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe, who has been banned from the SA parliament for alleged bullying during debate on previous, similar bills.
Game was elected as a One Nation MP but quit the party to form her own party, Fair Go. On Tuesday night – before introducing the bill yesterday – she announced she was leaving her own party to join Family First.
Initially, the bill banned all abortions from 25 weeks, no matter the threat to maternal health (the only exemption was in the likelihood of maternal death) or the level of foetal abnormalities. An amendment included exemptions for severe foetal abnormalities.
But the bill still failed to pass the lower house last night despite the support of premier Peter Malinauskas and opposition leader Ashton Hurn.
