Nineteen doctors who are current or recent providers of abortion services in Queensland have signed a letter to the state premier calling for abortion decriminalisation to be resolved in the current term of parliament. This follows another delay in achieving legal reform after private member's bills were withdrawn earlier this year.
The signatories include an overwhelming majority of doctors performing abortion in Queensland.
Just two days after millions of people poured into the streets of Washington, D.C., and cities around the world for the historic Women鈥檚 March on Washington, President Trump has reinstated the controversial anti-abortion "global gag rule", which denies US funds to any international health care group involved in聽any activity in support of women鈥檚 rights to choose.聽
Poland鈥檚 ruling far-right Law and Justice party has reversed its support for a draconian abortion ban after women across the country went on strike to protest the proposed law.
Jaros艂aw Gowin, the minister of science and higher education, said that large protests and strikes on October 3 had 鈥渃aused us to think and taught us humility,鈥 The Guardian reported.
Pro-choice activists in Queensland have expressed disappointment at the release of a parliamentary report on August 26 that failed to support the bill before Queensland parliament to decriminalise abortion.
Every activist has at some point been told that activism is pointless today, that it achieves nothing and hasn鈥檛 since the 鈥70s. Others say that there鈥檚 no point to feminist activism in particular because we already have gender equality.
A new battleground has opened over the introduction of 鈥渇oetal personhood鈥 laws as the anti-choice lobby tries to use these laws to roll back women鈥檚 reproductive rights. A private member鈥檚 bill giving legal rights to foetuses older than 20 weeks or weighing more than 400 grams passed the New South Wales lower house on November 21 by a large margin. A similar bill was introduced in the South Australian Legislative Council on November 27 by right-wing Christian party Family First. It lost by one vote. The Western Australian parliament considered a 鈥渇oetal homicide鈥 law last year.
