‘Huge step’ as abortion access changes

All doctors and nurse practitioners will be able to prescribe the pregnancy termination pills, and all pharmacies can stock it, as “unnecessary” red tape around abortion access is drastically reduced.

Until now, prescribers and dispensers of the two-part medical abortion treatment needed extra certification or registration, meaning only about 10 per cent of doctors and 30 per cent of pharmacists are currently able to deal with the pill.

But from August 1, restrictions around the MS-2 Step will be removed, in a move the government says will “improve equitable access to healthcare for all Australians”.

Nurse practitioners – who represent about one per cent of nurses – will also be able to prescribe the medications under the PBS.

The changes follow an application from MS Health to the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The pill, known as RU486 overseas, was first registered by the TGA a decade ago for use on pregnant women up to nine weeks gestation.

Assistant Health Minister Ged Kearney said it was a “very safe, very practical move” that met global guidelines.

She said the government supported the move because it had “no higher priority” than strengthening primary care.

“We know that women experience structural barriers trying to access the healthcare that they need, particularly in regional and rural areas,” she said.

“That’s why it’s so important that all health practitioners can perform the care that they are already trained to provide.

“These changes recognise the importance of health practitioners than women see regularly – their GP, their nurse practitioner, and their community pharmacist.”

The abortion pill was first approved for use in Australia in 2006, but it wasn’t until 2012 that medical abortions became more widely available.

The Royal Australian College of GPs has welcomed the changes, which they say will particularly benefit women in rural and remote communities.

RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said it was a “huge step forward” to improve access to holistic reproductive care.

“As a GP in a regional centre, I know all too well that there are significant barriers to reproductive care in rural and remote areas. These services are vital, and they must be affordable and accessible for everyone who needs them,” she said.

“The TGA’s changes will enable greater access to medical abortion for women throughout Australia and will reduce unnecessary red tape for the GPs who provide these essential services.”