- The Guardian
- Issue #2123
Abortion has been decriminalised in every state and territory of Australia after decades of intense struggle. Western Australia was the last states to do so in 2024. As Renee Carr, Executive Director of Fair Agenda said:
“… unfortunately, we can never take our reproductive rights for granted. This milestone has only been possible as the result of decades of advocacy by women, healthcare professionals, community members, and advocates around the country, who have bravely and relentlessly spoken out on this issue.” The Christian Right and other conservatives are on the front foot, campaigning to roll back laws granting women reproductive rights.
They seem to have been emboldened since the overturning of Roe vs Wade in the US. In the US medical practitioners now report far-reaching implications for women and girls seeking abortion and other reproductive healthcare, dramatically affecting their health, and resulting in serious – sometimes fatal – risks.
In South Australia right-wing Liberal MP Ben Hood introduced a private member’s bill to force women who seek to terminate their pregnancy from 28 weeks’ gestation onwards to deliver their baby alive. The mother would then have a choice of keeping the baby or forced adoption. (See Guardian #2121, 21/10/2024) The bill was defeated in the Upper House by ONE vote! It looks set to be defeated in the Lower House. Less than 1 per cent of all pregnancy terminations are beyond 28 weeks. These terminations are performed almost exclusively for medical reasons. They usually require two doctors to formally agree to their necessity.
In Queensland, with the victory of the Liberal National Party, abortion is back on the agenda. During the election campaign LNP leader David Crisafulli refused to indicate whether he would give LNP members a conscience vote on legislation winding back women’s reproductive rights. State MP Robbie Katter is reportedly planning to introduce a bill to roll back abortion law. It should not be forgotten that Crisafulli voted against Labor’s bill decriminalising abortion in Queensland in 2018.
At the federal level, right-wing Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price joined the anti-abortion chorus saying pregnancies that are ended after the first trimester are immoral, adding late-stage abortions are “akin to infanticide.” Opposition frontbencher Barnaby Joyce rushed to her defence, while Coalition backbenchers were divided.
Needless to say, more reforms are needed so that women truly have access to abortion. There is no consistency in the laws governing abortion law across Australia, although in most states and territories abortions are accessible until at least 20 weeks, after which pregnant women require approval from at least two doctors. “Too many patients can’t rely on their public hospital for care, can’t easily find a healthcare service they can turn to in their area, or have to find $500 on short notice in order to cover the out-of-pocket costs,” Bonney Corbin, Chair of the Australian Women’s Health Alliance said.
“I’ve worked around gender equality since the 1990s. If we can’t allow women to have autonomy over their own bodies, if we can’t trust them to make reproduction choices with their healthcare professionals, and we put those choices back in the hands of politicians, then we are in a dangerous place,” Jill McKay from Children by Choice said.
As Corbin says, “[…] any rights we have won as women, we must be vigilant about because we can’t assume they’re there forever. We have to keep our eye on the game all the time.”
