The biennial pap smear will become a thing of the past from May 1, replaced by a test sexually-active women will need just once every five years, from age 25 instead of 18. That’s sparked fears by some that the less frequent testing will put lives at risk, but doctors stress that is not the case. More than 50,000 people have signed a change.org petition this week urging the federal government to scrap the changes, labelling it a dangerous cost-cutting exercise.