Women’s leader lauds move to improve medical abortion access

Labor Women’s Caucus chair Sharon Claydon has applauded a move that would allow nurses and midwives to prescribe medical abortion pills.

Labor Women’s Caucus chair Sharon Claydon.

Labor Women’s Caucus chair Sharon Claydon has applauded a move that would allow nurses and midwives to prescribe medical abortion pills.

The Australian revealed this week that MS Health – the sole pharmaceutical company that imports the drug known as RU486 – will ask the Therapeutic Goods Administration to update its rules on who has the right to administer medical terminations.

“I applaud MS Health for making the application to the TGA; they are the independent body that’s going to make a ruling on this, so that that’s the right process to go through,” Ms Claydon said.

“As someone who has had a long interest in this area of policy, I would welcome all moves to increase access and affordability for safe terminations for women wherever they live in Australia.”

Under current national rules, medical abortions can be performed by doctors in the first nine weeks of pregnancy but fewer than 10 per cent of Australian GPs are registered to prescribe the two courses of pills.

MS Health wants to remove the roadblock that prevents nurses, midwives and Indigenous healthcare practitioners from prescribing the medical abortion pills.

The TGA will need to assess and approve the new plan, with changes to state and territory laws potentially required.

Ms Claydon, who was elected Deputy Speaker this week, thinks abortion policy has “got to be a priority” for the federal government. She said there were a number of options on the table to solve the current “access issue”, which is often dubbed a “postcode lottery”.

Anthony Albanese has ruled out forcing the states and territories to provide free abortions in public hospital, despite Ms Claydon’s calls to fully fund the cost of procedures through Medicare.

Medical abortions are only available by phone in Ms Claydon’s NSW electorate of Newcastle, after Marie Stopes closed its private clinic. The US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade – which protected abortion rights in the US – prompted hundreds of locals to protest.

“If my own electorate is anything to go by, there has been a very, very strong response to the overturning of Roe v Wade,” Ms Claydon said. “And while we are in a very different legal situation here in Australia, it is clear that women will be vigilant about both protecting and strengthening access and affordability of women’s reproductive health.”

Assistant Health Minister Ged Kearney said the government had not been formally approached by MS Health but she “would welcome applications to the TGA … that seek to remove barriers”.