Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi will once again bring a bill before Parliament on Thursday in order to change the laws surrounding abortion in NSW.
As it stands, women in New South Wales can face up to 10 years in jail for accessing an abortion – YEP, you read correctly. Your mother, sister, best friend or partner could face jail time for simply making an autonomous choice over her own body.
Here’s an outline of laws about abortion, state-by-state:
QUEENSLAND & NEW SOUTH WALES
It’s only legal if a doctor believes the woman’s physical and/or mental health is in serious danger. Due to an amendment in NSW in 1995, ‘mental health’ now includes social and economic factors.
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
It has to be ‘provided by a medical doctor’.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
It’s legal for women who are less than 14 weeks along. Plus, two doctors have to agree that the woman’s physical and/or mental health is endangered, or that the child will suffer severe foetal abnormalities.
VICTORIA
It’s legal for women who are less than and including 24 weeks along. Past that, two doctors have to approve the surgery.
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN
It’s legal, but two doctors have to agree that the woman’s physical and/or mental health is endangered, or that the child will suffer severe foetal abnormalities.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
It’s legal for women who are less than and including 20 weeks along. It’s really restricted after that.
TASMANIA
It’s legal for women who are less than and including 16 weeks. If the woman is more than 16 weeks, she must get approval from two doctors.
Crazy, right?!
Employing the narrative assistance of ‘Housos’ actress Ashley Avci (who is also a a Greens candidate for Hawkesbury City Council), Faruqi explains that we must do what we can to decriminalise abortion and create safe-access zones around pregnancy centres.
We must come together to ensure ALL Australian women are protected when attempting to access medical help.
Watch below:
The End12 campaign (the name references Division 12, the section that places jail time on women accessing an abortion) calls for supporters to sign petitions and show their support for decriminalisation.
To support the bill and to sign the petition, you can visit the End12 campaign here: www.end12.org.au/
Faruqi is bringing her reform bill before Parliament on Thursday.
Source: Mehreen Faruqi.
