South Australia will move to reform its abortion laws. Post continues below. According to the Australian Associated Press, South Australia’s upper house has formally decriminalized abortion, making it legal up until birth.The state had already allowed abortion but with restrictions. The procedure is legal in other Australian states, though there are varying restrictions on time frames and approval processes. Abortion has been decriminalised across Australia after the last remaining state where it was illegal, New South Wales (NSW), voted to reform its laws. With countless debates across the country regarding NSW abortion laws recently making headlines, it's left many Aussie's asking the question: Is abortion legal in Australia? The Termination of Pregnancy Bill passed the upper house on Tuesday after previously passing in the lower house in February by a vote of 29 to 15. The bill will be subject to a conscience vote of MPs in both the upper house and in the House of Assembly. Watch: Explaining abortion to 'Uncle Barnaby'. RENEE: Right now a woman in South Australia doesn't have the legal right to access abortion care. Abortion Law in South Australia . Abortion legislation reform On this page. — SA Abortion Action Coalition 李 (@SA_AAC) February 18, 2021. Credit: Universal Images Group via Getty. When the bill is passed, abortion will be removed from the state's criminal law and be treated entirely as a health issue, thereby bringing South Australia in line with the country's other state and territories. Victoria is the only state that offers access to late term abortion between up to 24 weeks on request (i.e. The answer is not as black and white as you may think. Abortion laws in Australia are all state or territory laws. The report proposes 66 recommendations and these have been individually considered by the Department for Health and Wellbeing. Premier Steven Marshall has indicated his support, telling reporters on Wednesday it was time for reform. While the laws in some states may allow for abortion post-20 weeks’ gestation, access to abortion beyond 20 weeks can be difficult. Since 1969, abortion up to 28 weeks of pregnancy has been legal in South Australia if two doctors agree that it is necessary to protect the life or physical or mental health of the woman or if the child is likely to be born with a serious abnormality. Instead, abortion is only legal if two doctors agree that there is a serious foetal abnormality, or a woman's physical or mental health is endangered. Abortion is legal in all states and territories under certain circumstances and when it is done by a registered medical professional. The South Australian Law Reform Institute at the University of Adelaide Law School has released an independent report (PDF 10MB), examining South Australian Laws relating to abortion.. Abortion law in Australia varies across states and territories. The Commonwealth is only responsible for the oversight of drugs for medical abortion … Abortions can now be provided beyond selected hospitals, and women no longer need to have been South Australian residents for two months or more to access an abortion. This article details abortion law in each State and Territory. Gestational limits While this is a positive step, important legal hurdles to abortion access remain in South Australia and around the country.