Lucy Barbour

Leaked documents show staff at the public hospital in Orange can no longer provide abortion services for patients who present without medical complications, further restricting regional women's access to time-critical reproductive health care. 

A public hospital in regional New South Wales is restoring abortion services after an ABC investigation revealed the executive had banned staff from providing terminations to patients for non-medical reasons.

An email obtained by the ABC confirms Queanbeyan Hospital has stopped providing surgical terminations for fetal anomalies and medical reasons, restricting access to a legal and time-critical form of reproductive health care.

Two new clinics providing abortion services are set to be established in Queanbeyan and NSW's south coast. It comes after an ABC investigation exposed that Queanbeyan Hospital had ceased providing surgical terminations.

The New South Wales Health Secretary offers an apology to women who have been affected by recent abortion bans, adding that she has written to hospital executives across the state reminding them of their responsibilities.

Family Planning Australia has analysed data on medical terminations across NSW, highlighting how access to abortion remains a postcode lottery.

A group of doctors outraged by last year's abortion ban at Orange hospital in regional NSW say they have lodged a complaint with the state's corruption watchdog.

The Coalition has promised to improve access to health care and child care in the regions, boost connectivity and improve roads with a $20 billion future fund.

The reasons abortion is still so hard for some to access are complex. But restrictions imposed at public hospitals last year have provided some clues. At its heart, this is a story about equity, dollars and political gain.

Women employed through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme are hiding pregnancies and attempting home abortions, a new report has revealed, prompting calls for greater support to address the health needs of migrant workers.