Almost nine in 10 Australians support access to abortion, according to new research released as South Australia makes a third attempt to introduce new restrictions on terminations after 25 weeks.
Wed 17 Jun 2026 01.00 AEST
Photo: Pro-life activists take part in an anti-abortion rally outside the South Australian Parliament in Adelaide, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AAP Image/Matt Turner)
Almost nine in 10 Australians support access to abortion, according to new research released as South Australia makes a third attempt to introduce new restrictions on terminations after 25 weeks.
Independent upper house MLC Sarah Game, formerly of One Nation, has introduced a bill that would effectively ban abortions after 25 weeks unless the procedure is necessary to save the life of the woman.
Under current laws, terminations after 23 weeks require the approval of two doctors, who must determine that continuing the pregnancy would pose a risk to the woman’s physical or mental health, or that there are serious fetal abnormalities.
“There are efforts to erode access to abortion care across multiple states and to turn women’s health into a political lightning rod, including the bill before South Australia’s upper house,” said Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute.
This will be the third time in less than two years that SA’s parliament has debated late-term abortion laws, but the first since the upper house was reshaped by the 2026 election to include three new One Nation members and another Greens representative.
The think tank said the proposed laws were part of a wider international push to restrict access to terminations.
Its discussion paper pointed to the US, where “Donald Trump and his supporters have made abortion central to an ongoing culture war”.
“Access to abortion is under attack globally and in Australia,” the report states, noting the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
It also warned that “Australia’s right-wing parties often follow their counterparts in the United States, so it is unsurprising to see a resurgence of anti-abortion activism here too.”
As academic, Prudence Flowers pointed out in The Conversation, in the 1990s One Nation founder Pauline Hanson once believed, “it is every woman’s right to determine her own body”.
In 2020 it adopted a “pro-life policy”.
However, abortion is still a conscience vote within the party.
Ms Bennett, one of the report authors, said it goes against the views of most of its voter base.
Polling in March for the Australia Institute showed more than four in five One Nation voters (84%) support access to abortion, including half (50%) who endorse access without restrictions.
“Across the country, the vast majority of Australians support access to abortion, including rural Australians,” said Ms Bennett.
But, while legal in all states and territories, she said that doesn’t mean “it is accessible to everyone who needs it”.
Ms Bennett argues the focus should be on improving access to care, rather than further restricting it.
“Australia Institute research shows South Australians living in the country don’t have equal access to the abortion healthcare they need, with more than eight in ten rural South Australians forced to travel to Adelaide to access abortion care.”
Just 2.7 per cent of terminations in the state are conducted in country health facilities.
Ms Bennett said delayed access to services can be the difference between taking a pill or requiring surgery, especially for those living in regional areas.
The report highlights that women who live in towns, such as Port Lincoln, Whyalla and Mount Gambier, face significant financial, transport and time-related barriers to accessing abortion services.
In places like Coober Pedy, almost nine hours’ drive from Adelaide, the challenges are even more extreme.
“It is clear from the experience in the United States that banning or restricting access to abortion compromises women’s health,” Ms Bennett said.
“More women die, more women experience severe medical complications, and their future fertility can be compromised by not being able to access the care they need when they need it.”
While the proposed new restrictions would erode women’s access to abortions after 25 weeks gestation, she said data shows fewer than 1 per cent of terminations take place after 23 weeks gestation.
The proposed legislation faces a vote on June 17.
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