title: Worth the wait? A critique of the Abortion Act 2008 (Vic).
abstract: This article offers a critique of the likely impact of the Abortion Act 2008 (Vic) in light of the fact that the Act was intended to reflect rather than alter current clinical practice surrounding abortion. The author traces the development of abortion law in Victoria and compares the two models for regulating abortion: the "common law model" and the "legislative model". The author argues in favour of legislative intervention. The author also discusses current uncertainties that exist due to the unclear effect of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic) on abortion legislation, focusing on the intersection between women's rights to an abortion and doctors' rights to freedom of conscience.
authors.affiliation: University of Sydney. oreb.naomi@gmail.com
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oreb
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D001315:Australia; D003242:Conscience; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010820:Physicians / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011247:Pregnancy; D014933:Women's Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence