Termination of Pregnancy Act, Queensland (2018)

The Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018 (Queensland) was enacted to decriminalize abortion in Queensland. The purpose of the Act is to enable reasonable safe access to termination. The Act permits abortion on request up to 22 weeks of gestation. After 22 weeks, a medical practitioner must consult a second medical practitioner before performing a termination. The medical practitioners must consider all relevant medical circumstances and the woman's current and future physical, psychological, and social circumstances and professional standards and guidelines. In an emergency, a medical practitioner may perform a termination beyond 22 weeks gestation without consulting a second medical practitioner if the termination is necessary to save the pregnant person’s life or the life of another foetus. The Act also introduces safe access zones of 150 meters around abortion clinics to protect patients and staff from harassment, intimidation, and audio or visual recordings, with penalties for violations including fines or up to 1 year imprisonment.

Topics

• Abortion and reproductive health rights

Geographical location

• Australia and Oceania
• Australia

Keywords

• termination
• safe access zone
• access to healthcare

External URL

• Termination of Pregnancy Act, Queensland (2018)

Type

• Legislation

Jurisdiction

• Queensland