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As NSW pushes sweeping abortion changes, MPs across party lines have raised alarms about women’s safety, conscience rights, religious freedom, and rushed parliamentary debate.

This week, the Abortion Law Reform Amendment Bill 2025 made significant progress after NSW Labor decided on Tuesday to allocate Government time to debate the bill. Tabled by NSW Greens MLC Amanda Cohn, the bill passed its second reading in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, 7th May, with a vote of 24–16.

Importantly, this bill is a conscience vote for all parties. Every Member of Parliament, across both houses, must personally decide whether to support or oppose the bill. Accordingly, my advocacy in Parliament has focused on engaging members across the political spectrum: Labor, Liberal, and Independent alike. Within each party, there are members who support it, reject it, or simply aren’t yet paying attention.

At present, we are cautiously confident that 75–85% of the bill will be gutted. Key provisions — those that compel conscientious objectors to act against their beliefs, give the Health Minister powers to require hospitals to provide abortion services, or remove already limited reporting requirements — are expected to be struck out. Of the more than fifteen MPs I’ve spoken with from both sides of politics, there’s broad consensus: these clauses are unworkable.

However, despite our best efforts, the push to allow nurse practitioners and midwives to prescribe abortion pills is likely to pass, albeit with amendments. And while the dangerously high 22-week limit in the bill is expected to be reduced, the new threshold may still sit around 9–12 weeks.

Pushing Abortion, Blocking Safeguards

In my meetings with Labor this week, we’ve drawn attention to new research that casts doubt on any claim this amendment is about ‘women’s health.’ A study published just last week (28th April 2025) revealed that nearly 11% of 865,727 women experienced serious adverse events within 45 days of taking the abortion drug mifepristone. These events included sepsis, infection, and haemorrhage, with just under 5% of women requiring an Emergency Room visit.

The voluntary inducement of labour to terminate a pregnancy is not a minor medical procedure. Beyond the tragedy of the unborn life lost, the physical toll on a woman’s health is significant, and that’s not to mention the psychological trauma.

It’s hard to fathom why this is the top priority for women’s health policy in NSW. Why are we not instead focusing on comprehensive support for women in crisis pregnancies, improving care for those suffering from endometriosis, or enhancing postnatal support for mothers after traumatic births? The answer, sadly, seems ideological.

If Labor wants to push back against the growing perception that it is beholden to the Greens, it must demonstrate the courage to resist ideology and reckon seriously with the facts.

Another fact is this: our health system in NSW is under immense strain. Across the regions, people are struggling to access dialysis, cardiac care, and other critical health services. And yet Parliament is tied up debating the Greens’ ideological crusade to expand abortion, at all costs. It’s a push that disregards not only the vulnerable lives of the unborn but also the safety of women in regional areas, where access to emergency medical care is already limited.

On Wednesday, 7th May, the bill entered the Consideration in Detail stage, where members can examine specific provisions and propose amendments to improve the legislation.

In a frustrating move, several amendments from the Libertarian Party, directly related to the Abortion Law Reform Act 2019, were blocked from even being debated by the Labor Government. One such amendment related to the prohibition of sex-selective abortion, but was dismissed by Labor as “irrelevant” to the debate. It’s hard to argue this looks like anything but suppression of valid scrutiny on safeguarding, while allowing discussion on the Greens’ agenda for expansion on government time.

As Abortion Bill Nears Vote, Now Is the Time to Speak Up

Fast-tracking controversial legislation while curtailing proper debate has become the norm under NSW Labor, particularly on social issues with deep and lasting consequences.

I still remember March 24. I stayed up until 4am watching the rushed debate on the Conversion Practices Ban Act 2024 — a bill with profound implications for freedom of religion, speech, and parental rights. The debate resumed after breakfast and was rammed through that morning. Here we are again.

On Thursday, 8th May, the hard adjournment will be lifted to allow continued debate on the abortion bill. Amendments — at least those Labor deems worthy of discussion — will be considered late into the night until the bill is passed in some form under a conscience vote.

It is expected to proceed to the Legislative Assembly as early as Tuesday next week, with the bill likely to become law before the week’s end.

Now is the critical time to act.

First, in faith — pray that God would awaken the consciences of every MP in the chamber.

Second, in action write a personal email to your local MP using ACL’s email tool.

All week, I’ve sat in MPs’ offices and heard it again and again: “We’re receiving a lot of emails against this bill.” That’s giving us the community backing we need for advocacy inside Parliament.

So please, keep going. Pray. Write. Speak. And maybe — just maybe — by the grace of God, when I return to Sydney next week, we’ll have a Legislative Assembly willing to reject this bill in full.