Member for Wagga Joe McGirr says he is "supportive of models" that would improve abortion access for women in his electorate, despite voting against decriminalising abortion in the NSW Parliament last year.
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Dr McGirr said he had written to the Murrumbidgee Local Health District and the state's health minister about the issue and put them in touch with Family Planning NSW to explore abortion provision in Wagga.
In May, he moved to back One Nation MLC Mark Latham's religious freedoms bill, citing concerns that doctors did not have the full ability to make a conscientious objection to abortion.
Abortion was decriminalised in NSW in October after a marathon parliamentary debate in which Dr McGirr, speaking "as a Catholic and a doctor", opposed the bill.
Dr McGirr said in parliament in August last year he wouldn't support the legislation because it did not have provisions for the counselling of women seeking a termination and did not consider the rights of an unborn baby past 22 weeks gestation.
He also introduced an amendment to strengthen the rights of objecting medical practitioners.
"I had concerns about conscientious objection, I had concerns about the 22 week limit. I outlined them in my thinking and my speech at the time," Dr McGirr said in defence of his earlier position.
"But look, that debate's gone ... the community expects that service to be provided."
Dr McGirr acknowledged there was some difficulty for private operators to provide abortion services in regional areas such as Wagga.
"I think that if there was no possibility of private provision I think the service should be available and I think the health district should be involved in that," he said.
"I actually think there are solutions that could involve a partnership between a private provider and the public system that could be more effective, where the public system could make facilities available."
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Murrumbidgee Local Health District chief executive Jill Ludford said the MLHD was working with the Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network, NGOs, private providers and community representatives to set up a working party to "improve affordable and timely access to pregnancy termination" in line with NSW legislation.
Most abortion services, she said, were provided by private and NGO providers on a fee for service under Medicare arrangements.
Wagga Base Hospital provides terminations only for women "with the most complex needs".
"This includes women with specific medical conditions and those in advanced pregnancy who require obstetric and midwifery care," Ms Ludford said.
State Labor MLC Penny Sharpe, who has been an outspoken advocate for for reproductive healthcare and abortion access, welcomed the establishment of the working group.
"I really hope that working group consults widely with women and medical practitioners across the region so they can have input," she said.
"Ideally what you'd want to see is a system set up in Wagga so women can access affordable terminations close to home. That's what we're really trying to get to."
Ms Sharpe said she was concerned about people having public access to abortion services.
"If women have to travel it's already quite expensive and very cost prohibitive for women," she said.