A bill to recognise crime or harm against a foetus was debated a second time in NSW parliament on October 17. About 100 protesters rallied outside before filling the public gallery to witness the debate.
Liberal MP Chris Spence's bill, the Crimes Amendment (Zoe鈥檚 Law) Bill 2013 No. 2, also known as 鈥淶oe's law鈥, aims to amend the NSW Crimes Act.
It would give rights and personhood to foetuses of more than 20 weeks (or weighing more than 400 grams), which has troubling implications for women鈥檚 reproductive control.
Abortion
The United States has led the world in deregulation of the financial sector, the economy and social services on the basis of 鈥渢he market rules鈥.
This facilitated the great financial crisis from 2007 onwards with devastating impacts on the welfare of the majority of citizens globally. Yet when it comes to US women鈥檚 right to control their own fertility, just the reverse has taken place.
Increasing regulation has become the norm undermining the reality of individual choice.
French grindcore band Blockheads have hammered out a solid reputation in the European extreme music scene over the past two decades. Their lyrics spit bile against corruption, colonialism, the corporate media, inequality, pollution, pro-lifers and much more. Mat Ward spoke to bassist and vocalist Erik about their new album, This World Is Dead, and the political situation in France.
Pro-choice activist will be rallying outside the East Melbourne fertility control clinic on November 24, under the slogan 鈥淥ur Clinic, Our Bodies, Our Choice鈥.
The rally is organised by Melbourne Feminist Action (MFA), an exciting new women鈥檚 rights collective.
MFA was initiated by Jacinda Woodhead and Stephanie Convery who work for literary journal Overland. They were motivated by what seems to be a growing and renewed public interest in women鈥檚 rights in Melbourne.
The article below first appeared on on August 30.
Angela Taft is an associate professor in public health at La Trobe University. She is the co-ordinator for Women's Health Special Interest Group at the Public Health Association of Australia, which has lobbied for the importation of RU486 for several years.
***
When the Victorian Parliament decriminalised abortion two years ago, the battle was finally over, right? Then why is the Fertility Control Clinic in East Melbourne still targeted by anti-abortion zealots? And why, after five years, has Melbourne City Council started harassing clinic defenders, potentially handing a victory to those same zealots?
The outcome of a trial against a Cairns couple for procuring an abortion has turned the tables on the Department of Public Prosecutions and the Queensland government.
The Cairns jury swiftly returned a 鈥渘ot guilty鈥 verdict on October 14 and the question now being asked is 鈥渨hat real crimes are exposed by this case?鈥
For many, the real crime is the fact that the anti-abortion laws from 1899 have not been repealed.
Pip Hinman has been pre-selected to run for the Socialist Alliance in the NSW seat of Marrickville in the March state elections. She is an activist journalist and stood in the seat in 2007. Hinman was active in the pro-choice movement in Sydney and Brisbane in the 1980s and 1990s. Below, she responds to the October 14 not guilty verdict in the trial of the Cairns couple charged under Queensland鈥檚 abortion laws. * * * The not guilty finding of the young Cairns couple should be the impetus for the NSW government to remove abortion from the NSW Crimes Act of 1900.
One hundred people rallied in Sydney on October 9 in solidarity with a young Cairns couple charged with abortion-related offences under Queensland鈥檚 1899 criminal code. The court case begins on October 12, and the couple will be supported by a vigil outside.
The rally was organised by the Women鈥檚 Abortion Action Campaign (WAAC) as part of a national day of action coordinated by ProChoice Action Collective Qld: WAAC NSW: and Radical Women Vic. It called for the repeal of all abortion laws from the criminal code and for free, safe and accessible abortion.
91自拍论坛 Weekly鈥檚 Angela Walker spoke to Carole Ford, a founding member of Pro Choice Cairns, about the upcoming trial of a young Cairns couple. The couple have been charged under Queensland鈥檚 19th century abortion-procurement laws.
How has the Cairns community responded to this case?
With overwhelming disbelief. I'm sure when most Queenslanders first heard of the charges, they felt as if they had regressed in time.
Campaigners for women鈥檚 reproductive rights are gearing up for a day of protest on October 9. A young woman and her partner from Cairns face charges under Queensland鈥檚 19th century criminal code for procuring an abortion. The trial date is set for October 12. A National Day of Action (NDA) will be marked by protests around the country, demanding that all charges against the couple be dropped.
The NDA is the initiative of three organisations: the Pro-Choice Action Collective in Brisbane, the Women鈥檚 Abortion Action Campaign in Sydney and Radical Women in Melbourne.
- Previous page
- Page 6
- Next page