BY KAMALA EMANUEL

HOBART — The cloud hanging over abortion services in Tasmania since the closure of the state's only free-standing clinic in March has darkened.

On October 12, abortion service provider Marie Stopes International confirmed it had withdrawn from negotiations with the state government “regarding the possibility of MSI establishing subsidised clinical services in Tasmania”, possibly making abortion free for healthcare card holders.

Meanwhile, hospital services remain vulnerable to availability of trained staff willing to perform abortions. Many women, unable to access services in Tasmania, must fly to Melbourne.

Socialist Alliance Senate candidates Sarah Cleary and Alex Bainbridge have said they will support a campaign for free, safe, accessible, legal abortion on demand. According to Cleary, the campaign for service provision is directly linked to the campaign for law repeal.

“The threat of legal action against abortion providers and women undergoing abortion limits access to abortions, even if the law has never been used to prosecute anyone. To improve access to abortion, the laws prohibiting it have to be completely removed from the criminal code.”

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