Email proves Queanbeyan Hospital has banned surgical abortions, as pressure mounts on NSW health minister to intervene

The ABC has uncovered fresh evidence that another public hospital in regional New South Wales has implemented a formal abortion ban.

Queanbeyan Hospital was providing surgical terminations for fetal anomalies and medical reasons. But an ABC investigation revealed the service stopped abruptly in August, after a woman was turned away on the day of her planned procedure.

In response to that woman's experience, health practitioners warned of an "unspoken ban". But the ABC has now obtained an email that proves the hospital has formally ceased providing the time-critical health care.

The email was sent last month to health practitioners outside the hospital, who had sought clarification from the Southern NSW Local Health District (LHD) on where to refer patients requiring surgical terminations.

It appears to have been sent from one of the hospital's doctors, on behalf of executive management. 

The email reads: 

"It has been identified that this procedure has been performed whilst there has been no supporting framework within the hospital. 

“As such, the (Local Health) District is now looking at what this might look like moving forward and until such times, this procedure does not currently sit within Queanbeyan Hospital’s delineation.”

The ABC contacted the LHD to ask what was meant by a "supporting framework" and whether surgical terminations at Queanbeyan Hospital would be reinstated.

The LHD said it "continues to provide abortion care services, and is actively developing more reliable and visible care pathways to assist the women of our community.

"These pathways to abortion care services will be made known to GPs and other relevant health providers.

Queanbeyan still provides medical terminations, where a patient takes the medication MS-2 Step, to bring on a miscarriage.

The LHD also said: "Personal beliefs of staff cannot impact a woman's right to access abortion care. If individual clinicians conscientiously object, referral pathways are in place to ensure women can safely access care."

At a press conference this afternoon, NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the department was looking into the issue at Queanbeyan Hospital.

"There is absolutely no plan to have abortions banned at our hospitals, including that hospital," he said.

"The advice I'm getting, and it's initial advice, is that it was a particular procedure they weren't comfortable in carrying out at that particular facility. I'm looking at that to see why that was the case."

Health minister faces mounting pressure

Last week, the ABC revealed that Orange Hospital in the state's central-west had introduced new policy banning abortions for people with no identified pregnancy complications or medical reasons.

That afternoon, the health minister made a spectacular intervention, announcing on social media that the ban had been reversed.

As part of the ABC's investigation, almost 20 clinicians and health professionals have privately raised concerns about conscientious objection being used to obstruct access to abortion care.

Public pressure is mounting on the health minister to make abortion services available across public hospitals throughout the state. 

Mr Park is also being lobbied from within his own ranks. His parliamentary secretary, Bega MP Michael Holland, told the ABC he saw "no reason" why Queanbeyan should not reinstate surgical terminations.

"I'm waiting on the minister's response and I can see no reason at the level of role delineation of that hospital and the availability of the clinical staff that those services should not be returned," Dr Holland said.

Dr Holland has written to the minister on behalf of a dozen obstetricians, GP-obstetricians, GPs and specialists, calling for Mr Park to intervene. 

In the letter, he noted that clinicians want NSW Health to "remove the power of the [LHD] executive or board to block surgical termination of pregnancy".

He also relayed their calls for an "urgent review" to ensure LHDs are held accountable for providing surgical abortion "frameworks".  

"I know that the minister will take action on that, and look at that framework," Dr Holland said.

The MP, who is a former obstetrician and gynaecologist, said he had "no evidence" to suggest abortion services were being obstructed by people in positions of power at Queanbeyan Hospital. He argued that "workforce shortages" were fuelling the problem.

In its 2023 budget, the state government provided $3.5 million over four years to improve abortion access across the state.

Greens MP says abortion should be 'essential health care'

Amanda Cohn, a Greens MP in the NSW Upper House, said that amount of funding was "nowhere near enough" and part of it goes to private providers, which can be an unaffordable option for many women.

In NSW, public hospitals are not required to provide formal abortion services, but they do have to provide referral pathways. Dr Cohn said the state government could easily change that.

"We saw the health minister do the right thing last week in stepping in specifically at Orange. But he needs to take further action at a state-wide level to actually fund these services in every Local Health District, not just on a case-by-case basis," she said.

"Unfortunately, abortion isn't seen as essential health care, which it should be. So as long as this is seen as somehow optional for LHDs, we're not going to see it provided in mainstream services. 

"A public hospital would never get away with turning away all patients with diabetes or all patients that need a knee replacement. They shouldn't get away with turning away all patients who need abortion."

Dr Cohn is drafting a private members' bill which will push for changes to the 2019 abortion law reform. The bill will call for nurses and midwives to be able to prescribe abortion medication and for mandatory notification paperwork to be scrapped.

It will also state that conscientious objectors should be legally obliged to refer people seeking a termination, to a formal abortion service. The current law only requires health practitioners to provide information to a patient, or refer them on.

"What we're seeing is that clause being weaponised by whole institutions or whole departments, which is never what it was intended for," Ms Cohn said.