This Chapter is my contribution to the abortion law reform debate currently underway in Queensland:
In 2016 I met with a delegation of Cairns women who wanted to have abortion removed from the Queensland Criminal Code. Queensland was the only state in which abortion remained an offence. The Cairns women I met with came from the fields of medicine, sexual health and politics and they made perfect sense. Whatever your thoughts about a woman having an abortion, it was clear in my mind that having the procedure listed as a criminal offence was nether desirable nor helpful.
I was keen to help the women in getting termination out of the Criminal Code. However, there was a reason there had been no attempt to change the abortion laws in Queensland for over 100 years. With extremist religious groups so strongly opposed to change, any politician that pushed pro-choice laws, would do so at their own peril. Despite this, when I read about the case of a pregnant 12-year-old girl in central Queensland who had not been able to access a timely abortion it made my blood boil. This 12-year-old girl was in state care. She did not want to proceed with her pregnancy and was supported by her parents in her decision to terminate. Despite this, she was forced to wait weeks, because abortion is in the Criminal Code. Obviously, her pregnancy progressed during this time, before she had the termination. It was a shocking experience for a young girl to be forced to go through.
The thought of women of any age, including those who have been victims of incest and rape, not being able to access an abortion was something I found appalling. Whether it was because they had no money, lived in remote areas, or where in state care, these women should always have the ‘right to choose’ what to do with their bodies. It was abundantly clear that this medical procedure should be removed from the Criminal Code, so that it could be determined between women and her chosen medical professional.
More @ http://www.robpyne.com.au/a-womans-right-to-choose/ #qldpol #auspol #pro-choice #metoo #lawreform
