I understand that people have strong views on the issue of Abortion, and I respect the right of my constituents to express their thoughts to me. The legislation to legalised Abortion was decided on in 2019. The Bill that was presented to the Parliament this week by the Greens was not about the legal right to an abortion.
The legislation is a result of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Regional Health Care, which recommended expanding the roles of nurse practitioners and endorsed midwives in providing reproductive health services. The inquiry also recommended the need for increased funding and support for telehealth services to improve access in underserviced areas such as regional NSW.
I did not support the initial bill introduced from the Greens in the Legislative Council. This Bill originally introduced was heavily amended in the Legislative Council, reflecting my concerns surrounding freedom of religion and conscientious objection of practitioners. By the time the legislation left the Legislative Council to come to the Legislative Assembly for debate it had been heavily amended significantly narrowing the original intent of the legislation by the Greens. I commend my colleagues in the Upper house for the work they did in amending the legislation.
At its core, the amended legislation before me was whether endorsed nurse practitioners and midwives should be permitted to prescribe the medication for pregnancy termination up to 9 weeks, which is within their existing professional scope of practice as approved by the TGA.
My decision to support this bill was based on one clear principle: ensuring equitable access to health care in New South Wales, regardless of where a person may live.
This bill does not change the legality of abortion – that was settled in 2019. What the bill does is address the gap in access between women in metropolitan areas, who can more readily access healthcare, and those in regional and rural communities, who often face long travel distances, or no local services at all.
I voted for the bill because I believe all residents of NSW, no matter their postcode, deserve timely, safe, and respectful access to health care. In my view, any health care access should be consistent across a wide range of provision of services, including dialysis, cancer treatment and palliative care.
I appreciate that these issues are sensitive, and I will always listen with respect to those who hold a differing view, but it is important that the facts are clear and void of misinformation.
WENDY TUCKERMAN 