18th April, 2013
The Australian Christian Lobby has expressed its disappointment over the passing of legislation aimed at decriminalising abortion in the Tasmanian Parliament’s lower house this week.
The Reproductive Health (Access to Termination) Bill decriminalises abortion and allows abortions to be carried out up to 16 weeks into pregnancy if the woman provides her consent and after 16 weeks if two doctors say it is justified medically, psychologically or socio-economically.
It was passed in the Tasmanian Parliament’s House of Assembly at a late night sitting earlier this week. Assembly members were given a conscience vote on the bill with nine Labor MPs and five Green MPs voting for in favor. No Liberal member voted for the legislation.
Mark Brown, the ACL’s Tasmanian director, questioned why Labor members of the House of Assembly had voted for the bill despite having earlier acknowledged in their speeches that terminating a pregnancy was the hardest decision for a woman to make.
“If abortion is the most difficult decision for a woman to make and one not taken lightly, as a number of MHAs said last night, then why are we treating it like any other medical procedure?" he asked. "We”re talking about another life, not just a woman”s livelihood."
Mr Brown said legislators have a "duty and responsibility" to address the issues of society and "not avoid the hard and costly questions".
"If the support structure isn”t there for women to make the decision – then this is the issue MHAs should be addressing."
Mr Brown said the ACL would continue to fight the legislation as it’s considered by Parliament’s upper house.
– DAVID ADAMS
