The cancellation of abortion services at two regional hospitals has propelled the issue back into the spotlight, although both the Albanese government and the Liberal opposition are backing away from making it an election battleground.

Queanbeyan Hospital has ceased performing surgical abortions and a woman was turned away on the day of her planned procedure at the hospital, according to the ABC.

A week earlier it was revealed that an executive at a public hospital in Orange, NSW had banned staff from providing abortions for “non-medical reasons”.

The decision in Orange was reversed after NSW Health Minister Ryan Park stepped in and there are calls for similar action in Queanbeyan.

Dr Anna Noonan, an associate professor and researcher in reproductive rights at the University of Sydney, said that it was important that abortion was treated as a healthcare issue, not a political one.

“If you put abortion in legislation, it keeps it squarely in the political orbit,” she said.

“A federal position that the protection of abortion care would be strategically an important move.”

She said that where a person lived could affect whether they had access to the procedure or not.

“What has shocked the general public in the past couple of weeks is that these are circumstances where public servants, people who are employed under the Health Ministry, are making the decisions locally about what should or shouldn’t be provided,” Noonan said.

“What needs to happen, ideally, is a state and a federal position to say abortion is healthcare.”

Abortion bill

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has refused to make two of his colleagues to remove a senate bill targeting abortion, despite previously attempting to take the issue off the agenda ahead of the looming federal election.

Matt Canavan, Nationals senator for Queensland, and Alex Antic, Liberal senator for South Australia, introduced the bill two years ago and it has been stuck in stasis since,. Butt Dutton said that he would not ask the pair to remove their support for the legislation.

“They as senators, as the Labor senators, the Green senators, David Pocock, the independents, have the right to put forward a private member’s bill,” he told ABC’s RN on Tuesday.

“In most cases, 99 per cent of the cases, the bill won’t get forward unless it’s got the support of the government.”

The Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) bill has been criticised for spreading falsehoods about late-term abortions.

Dutton reportedly told his party room that the debate around abortion cost the LNP votes in the Queensland state election. Photo: AAP

Dutton added that his own experiences as a police officer had led him to “support a woman’s right to choose”.

“As a detective working in the sex offender squad, I’ve dealt with women who have been raped,” he said.

“It’s a very, very difficult situation, and ultimately, that’s a choice and a decision for that individual to make, and that’s the position I support.”

State issue?

In opposition ahead of the 2019 election, Labor – under Bill Shorten – promised to make funding from the government for major public hospitals contingent on abortion services being provided.

Health Minister Mark Butler said the Albanese government would not revisit the policy ahead of the next federal election.

“States and territories are responsible for the operation of their hospital systems, they are answerable to their communities for that,” he said at a press conference.

“We are a part-funder of hospitals, but we are not an operator of hospitals, we don’t really have that expertise.”

In response, the Greens have moved to make abortion access and support a key election promise.

Senator Larissa Waters, the Greens spokesperson for women, said that “reproductive healthcare must not be a culture war or a postcode lottery”.

“Many women, particularly those in regional and remote areas, are left with little choice but to travel hundreds of kilometres and spend thousands of dollars,” she said.

“The Greens will provide $100 million per year to equip public hospitals with the personnel and facilities required to provide terminations services.”