It's been a long time coming - more than a century in fact - but a bill to decriminalise abortion is a step in the right direction according to an Illawarra women's health advocate.
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Sally Stevenson, general manager of the Illawarra Women's Health Centre, welcomed the announcement of the Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 that will be introduced in Parliament this week.
A united front of cross-party MPs will move quickly to pass the bill to remove abortion from the NSW Crimes Act 1900, ensuring abortion is regulated like any other health procedure.
"This reform has been a long time coming. Women should not be treated as criminals when they decide the timing and spacing of their children," Ms Stevenson said.
"This bill removes abortion from the criminal code, and grants women autonomy over their bodies, which is in line with their reproductive and human rights. We are so pleased."
Ms Stevenson said the passage of the bill would allow the Warilla centre to better serve women in the community.
She said a recent Australian survey had found that one in five women who had been pregnant in the last decade had an abortion, and one in three unintended pregnancies resulted in an abortion.
Almost half of women who had an unplanned pregnancy were using contraception at the time.
"We do pregnancy counselling and the vast majority of women know exactly what they want, and that is safe and affordable access to terminations," she said.
"... This is a great first step towards improving access to comprehensive reproductive and sexual health care in the Illawarra and all of NSW."
Health Minister Brad Hazzard helped draft the bill, which allows abortion on-request for women up to 22 weeks pregnant performed by a registered doctor.
Women beyond 22 weeks gestation would need the consent of two doctors.
"I don't believe there's any bigger decision in a woman, or a couple's, life that deciding whether to terminate a pregnancy," Mr Hazzard said.
"... When a woman walks in and sits down to talk with her doctor I strongly believe the decision should be influenced by medical issues and not by the possibility of going to jail."
A number of key government members support the bill, including Kiama MP Gareth Ward and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
"I think attitudes to women have moved on from more than 100 years ago," Mr Ward said. "No woman should feel like a criminal for undertaking a medical procedure."
Labor health spokesman, and Keira MP, Ryan Park and Wollongong MP Paul Scully also support the proposed legislation.
There is expected to be opposition for the bill from a number of politicians, on moral and religious grounds.
Mr Hazzard asked for a "calm and respectful debate" while Ms Stevenson said she was "cautiously optimistic" that the bill would pass.
"I would say that those opposed to it are entitled to their private views - but this is a public health issue and they need to vote in accordance with the community views in 2019," she said.
"And we know through research studies that the majority of the public in NSW believe abortion should be decriminalised."