NEW South Wales (NSW) is the last remaining state in Australia to vote to reform its abortion laws.
It means that Abortion has been decriminalised across Australia.
The bill, passed on Thursday, overturns a 119-year-old law which opponents criticised as being archaic.
The legislation had generated weeks of heated debate and deeply divided the state’s conservative government, the BBC is reporting.
Previously, abortions were possible in NSW only if a doctor deemed there was “serious risk” to a woman’s health.
The legislation was passed 26-14 in the state’s lower house after discussions about more than 100 possible amendments. It has already been approved by the upper house.
According to the BBC, he law makes it legal for terminations to be conducted up to 22 weeks into a woman’s pregnancy – or later if two doctors agree.
