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Decriminalisation of Abortion in Victoria
On May 30, Attorney-General Rob Hulls tabled the recommendations of the Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC) in Parliament. The VLRC offered three models, which can be viewed in detail on www.lawreform.vic.gov.au
Only one model, “Model C,” would recognise a woman's the right to make the decision to terminate a pregnancy. The other two models deny her that control. Model A enshrines a 1969 court ruling that an abortion is lawful if a doctor decides that the pregnancy would risk her physical or mental health. Model B allows a woman to make the decision up until 24 weeks, but when a pregnancy passes this point, an abortion requires a doctor (or two doctors) to decide that continuing a pregnancy would risk her health. Models A and B assume a woman's inability, at whatever stage, to make an informed decision.
Now that the recommendations are tabled, the Victorian government will respond with a bill which it will present at any time after the resumption of Parliament on July 29. What we do know is that pro-choicers must act — now!
Action Needed Now
- Petition Campaign: Sign and circulate a petition for free, safe abortion on demand, at all stages of pregnancy. 700 signatures are collected so far. We can get more! You can download the petition or contact Radical Women (details below) for a copy of the petition.
- Petition presentation and speak-out: Saturday, 16 August, 10.30 am, Coburg Mall (on Sydney Rd, between Munro & Bell Streets). Help collect the final signatures and then present the petition to Carlo Carli, Labor MP for Brunswick.
- Write to your local MPs: You can find your MPs on these links: Upper House: www.parliament.vic.gov.au/mlcs1, Lower House: www.parliament.vic.gov.au/mlas1. Below is a letter, which is based on the petition call. Feel free to send the letter, or adapt it. Most important, we must bombard MPs with the message that women must decide their own futures!
- Defend the Fertility Control Clinic: Saturday, 23 August, 10.00 am, 118 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne. The clinic is a battleground in this critical and historic period. Pro-choice forces, in big numbers, will show that we represent the majority of Victorians who believe in a woman’s right to choose. Bring your banners and placards, and add to our growing repertoire of feisty chants. The clinic defence is on the fourth Saturday of each month.
For information about any of the above, please contact Radical Women:
radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au or phone 03-9388-0062
Draft Letter to Members of Parliament
Dear Member
As a constituent in your electorate, I am writing to express my strong pro-choice views in anticipation of the debate on the decriminalisation of abortion in Victoria.
urge you to support free abortion on demand, at all stages of pregnancy. The Victorian Law Reform Commission's Model C allows for this right to be enshrined in law.
believe that terminating a pregnancy must be a woman's decision alone. Abortion must be treated strictly as a health issue and made freely available to her. The law must unconditionally recognise every woman's right to make her own reproductive choices: it is her body and her life and
therefore her right to decide. It is government's responsibility to guarantee the full material and medical supports for her choice: by resourcing the health system with the funds and staffing required to make abortion services readily available throughout Victoria.
Sincerely
Your name and address
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