24th May, 2016
Almost 24,000 Queenslanders have signed an e-petition calling on the State Parliament to reject an abortion reform bill put forward by independent Cairns MP Rob Pyne.
The e-petition, which was created by Wendy Francis, Queensland state director of the Australian Christian Lobby, was signed by 23,869 people which the ACL said was the biggest petition created under the Queensland Parliament’s epetition service to date.
It describes the bill as "the most dangerous abortion laws in the world", allowing abortion for any reason up to birth, and calls on state MPs to respect pre-election pledges not to weaken the state’s current abortion laws.
Ms Francis said the bill was a "betrayal of women" and said the parliament would be failing Queensland women "if the only option they can offer for an unsupported pregnancy is abortion".
Mr Pyne’s Abortion Law Reform Amendment Bill 2016 was tabled in parliament earlier this month.
Meanwhile in Victoria, a bill aimed at partially rolling back the state’s abortion laws is set to be debated in parliament tomorrow.
Hundreds of people gathered outside Victoria’s Parliament House last Saturday to rally in support of the Infant Viability Bill which was introduced by Democratic Labour Party MP, Dr Rachel Carling-Jenkins.
– DAVID ADAMS
