14th November, 2013
A Tasmanian parliamentary report on the issue of abortion failed to make an adequate case for it to be removed from the criminal code, according to the Australian Christian Lobby.
Mark Brown, the organisation’s state director for Tasmania, said the upper house standing committee’s report into the Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Bill 2013 didn’t make the case for removing abortion from the criminal code.
“Abortion should remain in the criminal code," he said. "It is an appropriate place when the life of a child is at stake."
The organisation welcomed the committee’s finding that proposed fines of $32,500 for counsellors who have a conscientious objection to abortion and refused to refer a woman on to a service was excessive but said there shouldn’t be fines applied in such a situation at all.
The ACL also said the report’s findings failed to give doctors with a conscientious objection the freedom not to refer women on to someone else and has expressed concern that the committee "failed to realise" the bill suppressed free speech by supporting jail time for people protesting outside abortion clinics.
“A free and democratic society should allow those who may disagree with the practice of abortion to express their views in visible displays such as prayer vigils and silent protests,” Mr Brown said.
– DAVID ADAMS
