The Australian Greens have urged the Prime Minister and his Immigration Minister to act urgently to bring a young refugee woman allegedly raped on Nauru to Australia so she can terminate her unwanted pregnancy.

"Mr Turnbull needs to pull his Immigration Minister into line and get this woman they help and care she urgently needs," Greens Immigration spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said today.

"Abortion is illegal on Nauru and the only option this young woman has for a safe and legal termination is to be brought to Australia.

QUESTION NUMBER 12 - SENATE FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND TRADE LEGISLATION COMMITTEE ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES HEARING FEBRUARY 2011

Senator Hanson-Young asked AusAID in writing on 13 February 2011:
How much bilateral Australian aid funding, since August 2009 has gone to NEW family planning initiatives, that get family planning services to women who currently have an unmet need, to help reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions? How much money and support has gone to the provision of safe abortion services in the region?

QUESTION NUMBER 11 - SENATE FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND TRADE LEGISLATION COMMITTEE ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES HEARING FEBRUARY 2011

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has written to federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon, urging her to convene an emergency meeting with state and territory health ministers and attorneys-general to resolve the inconsistency around Australia’s abortion laws.

Medical abortion services were recently suspended in Queensland following a lack of clarity around their legal status, forcing women to seek treatment interstate.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has called on the Federal Health Minister to convene an emergency meeting of all state and territory health ministers and attorneys-general, as Queensland's abortion law stand-off continues.

Queensland hospitals have recently suspended medical abortion services as medical abortions are still technically illegal under Queensland criminal law, leading to women being referred interstate for treatment or facing the prospect of an abortion in their own home.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young will today move a motion in the Senate calling on the Rudd Government to abolish restrictions on Australian aid funding of family planning and maternal health overseas.

US President Barack Obama recently overturned the global gag rule that prohibited aid funding going family planning services.

“Australia is now the only country that continues to enforce these draconian restrictions on our aid programs,” said Senator Hanson-Young.

“34,000 mothers die in our region alone per year because of a lack of maternal health support.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has called on the Rudd Government to follow the lead of President Obama and abolish the family planning guidelines that effectively ban the use of aid funding for some contraceptives and for abortion advice and services.

The AusAid guidelines are a product of former Senator Brian Harradine's conservative hold of balance of power in the Senate years ago.

"The Greens have long opposed these cruel and archaic restrictions and have been active participants in the campaign to have them removed," said Senator Hanson-Young

Senator Hanson-Young -This is a question to both of you, so I guess you can take it in turns to answer. I completely understand that you object to abortion per se. You have already said that; you have put that on the record. Putting that aside, how do you respond to evidence presented to this committee that disallowing this particular item-and that is what we are talking about; let us stick to the terms of reference-

Senator Hanson-Young -This is a question to all three of you. Do you agree with previous witnesses who have suggested that disallowing this particular Medicare item would not necessarily stop people from going through the procedure but in some cases prolong the pregnancy and push those weeks even further out so that a woman would have a termination even later than perhaps she would have beforehand?

Senator Hanson-Young -Mr Ryan, what is the department's view on the claims from various people who have given submissions and will be presenting throughout the next two days that practitioners are being liberal in interpreting the descriptions under this particular item?