Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Act 2013
| Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Act 2013 | |
|---|---|
| Parliament of Tasmania | |
| |
| Royal assent | 19 December 2013 |
| Commenced | 12 February 2014 |
| Legislative history | |
| Bill citation | Bill 24 of 2013 |
| First reading | 11 April 2013 |
| Second reading | 16 April 2013 |
| Third reading | 16 April 2013 |
| First reading | 17 April 2013 |
| Second reading | 19 November 2013 |
| Third reading | 21 November 2013 |
| Status: Current legislation | |
The Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Act 2013 is an act of the Parliament of Tasmania relating to the provision of abortion.
Background
[edit]Until 2013, the Criminal Code Act 1924 prohibited the "unlawful termination".[1]
Provisions
[edit]Abortion is transferred to become a health matter.[2]
Doctors are generally allowed to not participate in an abortion but the act does impose what is described as an "obligation to refer" to a doctor without conscientious objection.[2] The right to conscientious objection does not apply to cases where a patient is at risk of death or serious injury.[3]
The legislation establishes buffer zones with a radius of 150 metres around facilities providing abortion.[4] The act allows for a penalty of an imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months and/or a fine of up to and including 75 penalty units.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ de Costa, Caroline; Douglas, Heather (30 September 2015). "Explainer: is abortion legal in Australia?". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 4 December 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ a b Sifris, Ronli (1 June 2015). "Tasmania's Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Act 2013: An analysis of conscientious objection to abortion and the "obligation to refer"". Journal of Law and Medicine. 22 (4): 900–914. ISSN 1320-159X. PMID 26349386.
- ^ Dawson, Angela (28 February 2018). "FactCheck: do women in Tasmania have access to safe abortions?". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Beth (4 June 2015). "Abortion is legal but we still shame women". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ Sifris, Ronli; Penovic, Tania; Henckels, Caroline (1 September 2020). "Advancing Reproductive Rights through Legal Reform: The Example of Abortion Clinic Safe Access Zones". University of New South Wales Law Journal. 43 (3). doi:10.53637/QXAY4756.