ABORTION

In South Australia the law on abortion it is covered under the Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935 s82A(1). A woman (of any age) who has resided in South Australia for at least two months may have an abortion, at certain hospitals, by a medical practitioner who agrees with another medical practitioner with one of the following assessments:

the pregnancy continuing involves greater risk to the pregnant woman's life, or greater risk of injury to her physical or mental health, than terminating the pregnancy, or
there is a substantial risk if the pregnancy is not terminated that the child will be seriously handicapped from physical or mental abnormalities.

Where a child is unable to consent to abortion or sterilisation (for example, due to an intellectual disability) only the Guardianship Board can give consent, not the child's parents, but they are given an opportunity to make submissions to the Board [Guardianship and Administration Act 1993 s 61]. However, in the case of P. v P. (1994) 181 CLR 583, the High Court held that where a child's parents have been married, the Family Court has the power to make an order approving sterilisation, notwithstanding a decision to the contrary by the Guardianship Board.