Two Private Members Bills relating to abortion were recently before the NSW Parliament: the Abortion Law Reform (Miscellaneous Acts Amendment) Bill 2016, which was introduced in the Legislative Council by Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC; and the Summary Offences Amendment (Safe Access to Reproductive Health Clinics) Bill 2017, which was introduced into the Legislative Council by Penny Sharpe MLC.

In order to inform parliamentary debate of the two abortion Bills, this paper reviewed and compared abortion law across all Australian jurisdictions. A fuller understanding of the context in which Australia's abortion laws operate was first provided through a discussion of the reasons why women may seek to have an abortion; public opinion on abortion; and abortion statistics.