Historic abortion bill passes
12-week termination limit moves closer
A cabinet-sponsored bill that seeks to legalise early-stage abortions passed its first reading on Wednesday.
The bill would for the first time allow women who are up to 12 weeks pregnant to have abortions performed by a qualified doctor should they request it for any reason.
They would not need to show they have been raped or that the pregnancy threatens their life or that the unborn baby would be born disabled.
However, it would still be illegal for women who are more than 12 weeks pregnant to have an abortion.
The Criminal Code currently criminalises abortions across the board regardless of the age of the foetus.
The cabinet-sponsored bill was one of two debated in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The other draft, initiated by the…
