Anti-abortion activists are trying to limit access in NSW – and they are just getting started

• 01NSW Libertarian party MLC John Ruddick introduced legislation that would see health practitioners sent to prison or fined thousands if they carry out a termination because of the sex of a fetus.
• 02In NSW, abortion is entirely a woman's choice up to 22 weeks.
• 03Ruddick stated that if a mother wants to abort because of the child's sex, she can say it's for any other reason and no one will know, conceding the law is not enforceable.
• 04Ranzcog president Nisha Khot said the bill was 'predicated on misinformation' and that the 'underlying aim is to restrict access to abortion'.
• 05A 2020 NSW Health review found that of 15,973 abortions in the year to September 2020, 13 were listed as having been done for sex selection, but the review noted 10 of those were likely to be 'reporting errors', leaving possibly just three cases.
• 06NSW state health minister Ryan Park stated: 'There is no evidence that sex selection is occurring in NSW.'
• 07A 2025 US study published in Social Science & Medicine found that sex-selective abortion bans stigmatized Asian immigrant mothers, amplified racial stereotypes, and caused maternal stress and poorer birth outcomes, while 'did not significantly alter the infant sex ratio'.
• 08Anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe used paintings of what she believed were nine-week-old human fetuses named 'Emma' and 'Ruth' at a Sydney protest, but the images were later identified as sugar glider joeys.
• 09Howe stated on Tuesday: 'Every year in this state, we will introduce a bill until we protect all the babies,' indicating plans to target late-term abortions next.

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NSW Libertarian MLC John Ruddick introduced legislation to criminalize sex-selective abortion, though he conceded it would be unenforceable. Medical organizations including Ranzcog said the bill was based on misinformation, noting that a 2020 NSW Health review found only three likely cases of sex-selective abortion among nearly 16,000 terminations, and that international research shows such bans stigmatize immigrant communities without reducing sex-selective practices. The bill is part of a broader legislative effort by anti-abortion activists targeting abortion access more broadly.