Dr. Ruth Fletcher:

Yes, one could do that. One of the options would be to repeal the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act and to integrate abortion care into existing regulation. There is much to be said for that. Given that it is a big transition and that it will have an impact on the professional delivery of care, a statute would lay out things such as the guarantee of access. We are used to thinking of legislation as being restrictive but we could switch and think about legislation that can be promotional of good practice. That would be the reason a statute might be a good thing to replace that Act, to make it clear that it is a reproductive health statute, to decriminalise and to promote public provision.