Controversial Abortion Bill Defeated in SA Parliament
South Australia's Legislative Council has rejected a controversial bill that sought to tighten access to late-term abortions, marking the second such defeat in just over a year. The proposed legislation, introduced by Independent MP Sarah Game, failed to pass the Upper House on Wednesday with only eight members supporting it versus eleven opposed.
What the Bill Proposed
The defeated legislation would have significantly restricted access to abortions after 22 weeks and six days of pregnancy. Under current South Australian law, termination after this point is permitted if two doctors agree it is medically necessary, with only about 1 per cent of abortions in the state falling into this category.
Game's bill proposed allowing terminations after that gestational limit only in cases of serious foetal anomaly or to save the life of the pregnant woman or another foetus. Crucially, it would have removed current provisions that allow medical professionals to consider mental health issues, including circumstances involving poverty, domestic violence and other non-health related factors.
Previous Attempt and Growing Opposition
This represents the second failed attempt to restrict late-term abortions in South Australia within a short timeframe. Last September, a similar bill from Liberal Member of the Legislative Council Ben Hood was defeated by a narrower margin of 10-9.
The latest proposal faced significant opposition from medical experts and community groups. The South Australian Law Reform Institute had recommended in 2023 that abortion until 24 weeks be allowed as the gestational limit, citing the "disadvantage, distress, complexities and higher risks" involved in later-stage terminations.
Campaign group Fair Agenda collected more than 4600 signatures opposing the bill, while the SA Abortion Action Coalition labelled it a "striking misreading" of community values.
Parliamentary Debate and Reactions
During parliamentary debate, Sarah Game claimed that 79 "healthy, viable babies" had been terminated since the current laws came into force, describing this as "three reception classes that are no longer with us" and "a tragedy that demands action."
However, 7NEWS.com.au understands these figures cannot be directly confirmed due to confidentiality and the mix of public and private procedures. Available data shows that among 109 late-term abortions publicly reported, the majority of women chose termination based on mental health grounds, which may include circumstances of poverty, domestic violence and psychological distress.
Greens MLC Robert Simms welcomed the bill's defeat, stating on Facebook: "The forced-birth bill has been defeated: 8 votes in favour, 11 against. This should be the end of the matter. Women's reproductive rights are not the plaything of the far right."
Premier Peter Malinauskas treated the vote as a matter of conscience, noting that "good people can arrive at different conclusions" and emphasizing the importance of finding "compassion in each other's position."
The bill was drafted with assistance from conservative academic and social media influencer Dr Joanna Howe. At the time of publication, Sarah Game had not made any public comment about the defeat of her proposed legislation.
