On Tuesday, Jim Bacon announced Tasmanian parliament is to be reconvened
in response to the crisis in abortion provision in the state. Parliament
is to sit on Wednesday 19th December.
The newly formed organisation People for Choice will be organising a
rally on that day (time yet to be determined), to call for repeal of the
provisions in the criminal code that relate to abortion (that is,
sections 134, 135, 165). Details to follow when available.
At this stage, it is not clear what the proposed legislation is to
contain. Apparently the health minister Judy Jackson will be introducing
a private member's bill.
The best outcome would be repeal of the old laws, with nothing new to
replace it. Where new regulations have been introduced in other states,
they invariably limit choice in some way - placing restrictions on where
abortion can be performed (eg South Australia, public hospital; ACT, a
facility approved by health minister), the length of the pregnancy
(South Australia, WA, ACT), dictating the information women must have
been given (ACT), a cooling off period (ACT), an onerous number of
doctors women need to see, making the doctors the gatekeepers etc etc.
As something women should be able to decide on for ourselves, it should
not be regulated by any law apart from those that relate to other
medical or surgical practice (the kind of laws already there to ensure
health care is delivered by appropriately trained people, that adequate
information is given to patients/clients, that proper skill is used etc
etc). It's discriminatory to single out for special legal treatment a
health issue that is of specific concern to women. For all these
reasons, it is vital we raise our voices to insist the abortion laws
be repealed (full stop).
Please
1. start letting people know about the rally next Wednesday.
2. write letters to the newspapers and politicians explaining why the
criminal code provisions relating to abortion should be repealed and not
replaced.
3. wear purple to show you support women's right to choose ("Purple for
Choice").
4. email me for an electronic version of a petition (I have it as a word
document, or can send you the text) to be presented to parliament on
Wednesday, calling for repeal of the abortion laws. Print out, get
everyone you can to sign it and bring it along Wednesday or return it
sooner if you can.
Kamala Emanuel
for People for Choice.
.
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