Fair Agenda

"My body, my choice.

Harm and risk reduction for everyone.

People who do not approve of abortions – should not have abortions… and should also keep their opinions out of other peoples uteri."

"The current laws deny a woman’s right to self-determination and bodily autonomy. Access to safe abortion is a basic human right.

The decision to terminate a pregnancy should be made by the person who is pregnant. The woman is the expert in her own life and knows what she wants and if she wishes to or is able to parent at the time of the pregnancy. The woman is the person whose life is impacted the most if the pregnancy is continued (energy levels, bodily and health changes, ongoing linkages with domestic violence perpetrators through court/custody disputes, reduced income from working less due to caring for a child).

Women make decisions re: pregnancy with kindness, compassion and support and must be shown the same in return. Decision making during pregnancy is already such an excruciatingly difficult time for women. Women are faced with a myriad of situations inclusive and not limited to family violence, mental health challenges, grief and loss, relationship losses and changes in resources (unemployment). Many of these occur during a pregnancy and are considered carefully by women in decision making.

EXAMPLE:
A women may be parenting very young children and had suffered through Post Natal Depression, only to find that she is suddenly pregnant again due to failed contraception. It should be this woman’s choice if she wishes to end this pregnancy in order to preserve her energy, mental health and to enable her to focus on parenting her other younger children.

Everyone has a very unique set of circumstances and life story and we need to trust that a woman knows her own situation best and that she is the expert in her own life.

In addition to this, unplanned pregnancies impact upon relationships and add enormous stressors to a couple. Women need the choice to decide whether they wish to parent (this is a basic human right).

Abortion is health care….there is nothing criminal about it…….and until we decriminalise, we are adding to the stigma……..this stigma is what silences some women from sharing their experiences and from seeking the support, love and compassion they need from friends, family and health professionals."

"As a midwife and nurse I believe safe abortion is a basic human right all women should have safe affordable access to. Abortion is a health care issue, not a criminal matter and the proposed SA legislation will address this overdue change."

"I am an older social work student. I am currently learning about human rights and social justice. Abortion is not about persons moral ‘religious’ beliefs. Religion has no place in health care. I know that woman deserves the right to make choices that affect their body and minds and we as a community need to support that choice and help them through this. No one wants to be in the position to need access to the health care abortion entails. But none the less, they are entitled to the dignity, support and right to own their bodies."

"My thoughts are better expressed in an excerpt from Amnesty International: ‘Access to safe abortion is a matter of human rights ….

Access to safe abortion services is a human right. Under international human rights law, everyone has a right to life, a right to health, and a right to be free from violence, discrimination, and torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

Human rights law clearly spells out that decisions about your body are yours alone – this is what is known as bodily autonomy.

Forcing someone to carry on an unwanted pregnancy, or forcing them to seek out an unsafe abortion, is a violation of their human rights, including the rights to privacy and bodily autonomy.

Access to abortion is therefore fundamentally linked to protecting and upholding the human rights of women, girls and others who can become pregnant, and thus for achieving social and gender justice.

Amnesty International believes that everyone should be free to exercise their bodily autonomy and make their own decisions about their reproductive lives including when and if they have children. It is essential that laws relating to abortion respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of pregnant persons and not force them to seek out unsafe abortions.’

I recommend reading Amnesty International’s Policy on Abortion and for those who oppose this, take a wider view — it’s not your body — you don’t have a say!!"

"This is a human rights And healthcare issue that has been made a legal issue because women are not trusted and not treated as adults in charge of their own bodies and reproductive capacity. It has gone on for too long and needs to change in this day and age."

"I have a close friend who experienced a devastating diagnosis that meant her unborn, much wanted baby, would not be able to survive upon birth, were the pregnancy to continue. Because of this, my friend and her partner had to make a the distressing decision to have an abortion. This was a traumatic time, but the services and support she received from doctors and nurses in South Australia was outstanding, patient centred care. This is a very personal experience leading to the need for a health procedure that should not come under the criminal code. Abortions are required because of complex circumstances that warrant compassion, care and support from friends and family, and from our social, legal and health systems. Most importantly, by voting to decriminalise abortion and to provide safe access to facilities providing this type of healthcare, you are showing the 1 in 3 women in your electorate who will need access to such services in their lifetime that you consider their needs with compassion, and respect their right to make difficult decisions on their own terms, and in private."