SW News:

All doctors and nurse practitioners in Australia will be permitted to prescribe the pregnancy termination pill, and all pharmacies will be permitted to carry it. This will significantly increase access to medical abortions. 

Only about 10% of physicians and 30% of chemists have the necessary certifications to cope with the drug, also known as RU486 or MS-2 Step in Australia. In August, restrictions will be lifted, freeing medical professionals from the need to register and undertake rigorous certification requirements with MS Health, the drug's importer. 

Once the law is passed by states, all pharmacies will be able to administer MS-2 Step like any other medication and nurse practitioners will be able to write the initial prescription for it. 

After a contentious political discussion that necessitated a conscience vote in parliament to remove then health minister Tony Abbott's veto power over the treatment, the abortion pill was first licensed for usage in Australia in 2006. However, it wasn't until 2012 that MS Health began importing it that the availability of medical abortions increased. 

After abandoning its 2019 policy to require public hospitals to perform surgical terminations, Tuesday's announcement of loosened restrictions marks the first significant regulatory change since the pill was registered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) 10 years ago. It also marks a significant step towards the Albanese government's election promise to deliver equitable access to abortion. The federal government will accept the new regulations after receiving advice from the TGA and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. 

Ged Kearney, assistant minister of health, remarked, "We welcome these changes that remove red tape." The TGA and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee recommended that the federal government approve the new rules, which were also praised by the medical and nursing communities, who stated they would change the game for women. 

Leanne Boase, president of the Australian College of Nursing Practitioners, said because this treatment must begin extremely early in pregnancy, it has historically been quite challenging for many women to obtain it. Medical abortions can be performed up to nine weeks into a pregnancy by taking a two-tablet regimen of misoprostol and mifepristone. Surgical terminations, which can be done up to 24 weeks gestation depending on the state and territory, have remained more prevalent despite the medication's inclusion in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in 2013. However, due to higher costs, fewer availability in public facilities, and jurisdiction-specific rules, women may have to travel hundreds of km to receive surgical abortions. 

A 2021 study found Australia trailed comparable nations in terms of both registered prescribers and medical abortion rates; about 23 percent of Australian abortions were medical terminations, compared with 39 percent in the United States and 73 percent in Britain.