The introduction of the private members’ bill by Liberal MP Ben Hood, which seeks to impose draconian and outdated restrictions on abortion after 27 weeks and six days, is a blatant assault on women’s bodily autonomy. ‘This proposed bill attempts to control the most intimate decisions a woman can make about her health, her body, and her future. The state has no place commanding control over a woman’s body in this way—this bill is an overreach and deeply harmful to the rights of women,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘This proposed legislation represents a gross interference in the complex and highly personal circumstances that lead people to seek abortion care at later gestations,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘The suggestion that women and their medical teams do not approach these decisions with the utmost care and consideration is insulting and rooted in a misogynistic agenda that seeks to villainise women. Decisions made at this stage are often out of necessity due to severe health complications or other tragic circumstances,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘Mr Hood’s bill dangerously removes the foundation of informed consent, disregarding the expertise of medical professionals and the lived experiences of women. It simplifies a deeply complex issue into black-and-white terms that fail to recognise the diverse realities faced by those seeking later-term abortions,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘These proposed changes would force women into untenable and traumatic situations, all in service of an anti-abortion agenda that cloaks itself in false narratives of compassion,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The fact that people opposed to abortion frequently frame women in this light bringing forward legislation that denies the reality of their lives and circumstances shows how out of touch these measures are. They ignore the fact that, when abortions do occur at this stage, it is often due to medical emergencies or significant concerns for the foetus,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The right to access abortion is fundamental to ensuring women’s health and well-being, and this bill threatens that right. This legislation would have devastating impacts on women and their families, forcing them to carry pregnancies to term under harrowing circumstances, potentially endangering their lives and mental health,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The National Network join the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG), the SA Abortion Action Coalition and countless others in opposing this bill. We urge the South Australian government to reject this dangerous proposal and stand firm in protecting the reproductive rights of all women,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘The state must not interfere in decisions that belong solely between a woman and her medical team. As a National Network, we say to the state: Hands off our bodies,’ said Tabitha Lean.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226
