Australia’s Victoria Abortion Law Reform is a bill passed under Section 65 of the Victorian Crimes Act 1958. The bill states that any woman who has an abortion is liable to receive between five and ten years of imprisonment. Medical practitioners who perform the abortions are also liable to receive up to five years of imprisonment. The bill was moved on behalf of the State Labor Government’s women’s affairs minister Maxine Morand.[1]
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Stated under Section 65 of Victorian Crime Act 1958, a person who is not qualified must not perform an abortion on another person. A maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment would be given if violated. A medical practitioner is a qualified person. Registered nurses and registered pharmacist are qualified if they are administering a drug or drugs to terminate pregnancy in accordance with the Abortion Law Reform Act 2008. A woman, female of any age, who consents to, or assists in, the performance of an abortion on herself would not be guilty of an offense against this section.[2]
A woman seeking an abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy would have to gain the approval of two doctors. The woman's current and future physical, psychological and social circumstances would be taken under consideration before the abortion could be performed. It is at 24 weeks of pregnancy that the medical practitioner would face criminal penalty if abortion is performed.[3]
Abortions can be performed up into the ninth month of pregnancy, making Victoria's abortion laws among the most permissive in the world. A clause was inserted into the act that took away the conscientious objection of doctors and nurses who choose to perform late-term abortions.[4]
Christine Campbell added numerous amendments that were voted down. Parliament voted against:
Providing support/counselling for women. [5] Providing information on the health risks of abortion. [6] The right of healthcare workers not to participate in abortion or refer for abortion. [7] Banning late-term and partial-birth abortion. [8] Mandatory reporting of suspected child/teenage victims of sexual abuse when a suspected abuser takes them to an abortion clinic. [9] Notifying the custodial parent of a minor seeking an abortion. [10] Requiring abortion providers to administer an anaesthetic to the fetus. [11] Protecting the life of a child born alive after an abortion. [12] Providing legal protection for an unborn child seriously injured during an assault on the mother. [13]
In June 2011, Seven News reported that late-term abortions at the Royal Women's Hospital have increased in frequency by 600% since the laws were changed in 2008.[14] [15]