Public Health Act 2016

A registered health practitioner who has a conscientious objection to abortion has the right to refuse to do any of the following —

perform an abortion on a person;

assist in the performance of an abortion on a person;

make a decision under section 202ME(1)(a) or (b) whether performing an abortion on a person is appropriate in all the circumstances;

advise a person about the performance of an abortion on the person or another person.

If a registered health practitioner who has a conscientious objection to abortion is requested by a person (the requesting person) to do a thing referred to in subsection (1), the registered health practitioner must disclose the practitioner’s conscientious objection to the requesting person immediately after the requesting person makes the request.

Subsection (1) does not limit the circumstances in which a registered health practitioner may refuse to do any of the things referred to in that subsection.

This section does not limit or otherwise affect any duty of a registered health practitioner to do a thing referred to in subsection (1) in an emergency.