PROJECT | Reproductive Rights

For years, the Human Rights Law Centre has been fighting to ensure abortion is treated as healthcare and wiped from the criminal laws of every state and territory around Australia. In September 2023, we reached this critical milestone.  

Every person should have the power to decide what’s right for their body and their future. That’s why advancing reproductive freedom in Australia has long been a goal of the Human Rights Law Centre.

With the passing of WA’s abortion laws in 2023, abortion by doctors was decriminalised and replaced by health-focused laws in each state and territory of Australia.

Across Australia, abortion is finally being treated as healthcare in our laws. This follows decriminalisation reforms we helped secure in South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory between 2018 and 2021. 

In addition to decriminalisation, the Human Rights Law Centre has been actively involved in making it safer for all people who are pregnant to be able to access.

In 2015, we partnered with Dr Susie Allanson, who worked as a clinical psychologist at Melbourne Fertility Control Clinic for 26 years, to push for safe access zones in Victoria. Together, we fought for these to be expanded across the country, and then with the support of Maurice Blackburn, defended these hard-fought wins in the High Court in 2019.

The decriminalisation of abortion Australia-wide was achieved through generations of protest and advocacy from organisations and individuals around Australia.

We worked closely with many incredible community advocates, doctors, nurses, social workers, lawyers and politicians, and heard many brave women tell their stories. This win for reproductive freedom is a testament to their determination and to collaborative action.