The Victorian Labor government is introducing new measures to improve access to medical abortion, a drug-induced method of terminating a pregnancy that can be used up to nine weeks’ gestation. This comes as the government highlights reproductive rights as a key issue in the upcoming election. Deputy Premier and Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams, along with Health Minister Ingrid Stitt, will announce the deployment of portable ultrasound machines to 20 sexual and reproductive health hubs across the state. These machines, costing $480,000, will help confirm early pregnancy more quickly, allowing women, especially those in regional areas, to access medical abortion within the nine-week window. This is important because if a woman is not scanned early, she may have to wait or travel long distances, potentially missing the window for medical abortion and being left with only surgical options. Medical abortion has been legal in Victoria since 2008, allowing termination up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions later in pregnancy if two doctors agree. Since then, the Labor government has worked to make abortion care safer and more accessible, introducing safe access zones around clinics and expanding services through mobile and virtual women’s health clinics. The virtual clinic, for instance, reported that nearly 60% of its appointments in its first year supported medical abortion. The opposition leader, Jess Wilson, has ruled out any changes to Victoria’s abortion laws under a Coalition government, despite a video released by a market research firm linked to Labor suggesting that One Nation’s Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, wanted to make abortion a crime. Wilson emphasized that abortion laws would not change under a Liberal and Nationals government. However, Williams suggested that if the Coalition is in a hung parliament, One Nation could have significant influence, potentially limiting the opposition’s ability to resist changes on abortion policy. One Nation’s national platform includes a commitment to “seek every opportunity to roll back brutal and extreme abortion law.” While federal leader Pauline Hanson has stated she is not against first-trimester abortion, this position is not clearly reflected in the party’s formal policy. In New South Wales, One Nation’s leader Mark Newman recently attended a rally alongside controversial campaigner Joanna Howe, calling for restrictions on abortion access. He later clarified that the party does not advocate for an outright ban, focusing instead on late-term abortions and those performed for sex selection. These actions have raised questions about the potential impact of One Nation’s influence on abortion policy in Victoria.