Fair Agenda

To all members of NSW Parliament,

As organisations and services working for the wellbeing of residents in New South Wales, we express our strong concern about the harm that current abortion laws are causing.

We believe that a woman has the right to feel safe and in control of her life, that she knows what is best for her health, her body, and her family, and that she should have the freedom to decide whether and when she has children.

NSW’s current abortion laws are archaic, cruel, and degrading, and deny a woman the right to make decisions about her healthcare. We are very concerned that they increase the distress, delay and financial burden faced by a woman who needs abortion care and that they disproportionately harm women living in rural and remote areas, who already have limited access to healthcare.

A woman who needs to end her pregnancy shouldn’t have to travel hundreds of kilometres from home, or cross state borders, to access this healthcare. And a qualified health practitioner should be free to provide the best care possible, without fear of criminal charges.  

50 Queensland parliamentarians, from all sides of politics, voted to modernise the state’s abortion laws in line with Law Reform Commission recommendations. NSW now has the most archaic abortion laws in the nation - laws created in 1900 that treat pregnant people like second class citizens when it comes to accessing abortion care. The attitudes of 1900 should not deny a woman the healthcare she needs in 2018.

It’s time that NSW’s abortion laws are made fit for today’s world, and that abortion is finally recognised as a health matter – as it is in Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT, Northern Territory and now Queensland.

We call on you to support decriminalising abortion in NSW, and to vote for new health laws that promote the autonomy, dignity and wellbeing of people who need to end a pregnancy by providing for safe, legal and compassionate access to abortion care.

We applaud the recent leadership of the NSW MPs who championed, and supported, the introduction of safe access zones at reproductive healthcare clinics in NSW. Their dedication to patient dignity and privacy is the kind of representation NSW deserves, and expects.

We now call on all members of NSW Parliament to commit to reforming NSW’s abortion laws to improve access to this basic healthcare, and recognise the right of people who are pregnant to make decisions about their own bodies and futures.

Sincerely,

Amnesty International Australia

Australian College of Nursing

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights

Australian Medical Students Association

Australian Women’s Health Network

Australian Women Lawyers

Community Legal Centres NSW

Domestic Violence NSW

Fair Agenda

Family Planning NSW

Human Rights Law Centre

Kingsford Legal Centre

Marie Stopes Australia

National Council of Single Mothers and their Children

National Foundation for Australian Women

NSW Council for Civil Liberties

Our Bodies Our Choices

Penrith Women’s Health Centre

Pharmaceutical Society of Australia

Public Health Association of Australia

Public Interest Advocacy Centre Ltd

Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia

Rationalist Association of NSW Inc

Rationalist Society of Australia

Reproductive Choice Australia

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

The Private Clinic

Women’s Abortion Action Campaign

Women’s Electoral Lobby

Women’s Health NSW

Women Lawyers Association NSW

Women’s Legal Service NSW

YWCA Australia

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Join the campaign for safe and legal access to abortion care at http://fairagenda.org/decriminalise_abortion