In late 2025, a draft policy document obtained by ABC News revealed proposed changes to how termination of pregnancy services are regulated in New South Wales. The document makes it clear that hospital managers, administrative staff, and health service executives would no longer be allowed to use personal beliefs or conscientious objection to block abortion care in public health services.

Under existing policy and law, individual clinicians such as doctors, nurses, midwives, and pharmacists can refuse to provide abortion care if they have a conscientious objection, as long as they help the patient find another provider. However, the current framework does not explicitly prevent managers or executives from using conscientious objection to limit access at the departmental or institutional level. The proposed guidelines would clarify that such rights are personal and do not extend to hospital management or institutions.

The draft directive is part of a larger review of termination of pregnancy policy that has been underway for more than a year. NSW Health has indicated that the updated guidelines are expected to be published early next year.

Advocates for reproductive health services said the lack of clear rules has been used to restrict abortion access in the past. A previous ABC investigation found cases where patients were turned away from public hospitals on the day of a planned procedure and where regional executives had directed staff to stop providing terminations unless pregnancy complications were present. In some instances, ministers intervened to reverse decisions restricting services.

Greens MP Dr Amanda Cohn, a former general practitioner who has worked in abortion care, welcomed the draft guidelines as an improvement but said she was disappointed they did not require all public hospitals capable of providing abortion services to do so. She pointed out that gaps in access remain, particularly in rural and regional areas, where public services are limited and demand often exceeds capacity.

New clinics have opened in some regional areas, and discussions are ongoing about expanding surgical abortion services in locations such as Wagga Wagga. Public hospital services at Orange Health Service now include dedicated pregnancy options and support services after earlier restrictions prompted controversy and a health ministerial intervention.

Original source:

NSW guidelines proposed to prevent hospitals from refusing abortion care based on personal beliefs
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-12/document-reveals-plan-to-limit-blocking-of-abortions/106091562