BY ROBYN MARSHALL
BRISBANE — Hundreds of people took action around the country on August 8, in a national day of action to demand the repeal of anti-abortion laws. August 8 marked the anniversary of the introduction of Medicare payments for abortions by the federal Labor government in 1974.
In King George Square, 300 women rallied and marched to demand the repeal of the anti-abortion 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ 224, 225 and 226 of the Queensland criminal code. The march was organised by the International Women's Day Collective. Collective members have been collecting signatures on a petition to repeal the antiquated laws.
A doctor who performs abortions at the Caboolture and Logan clinics described the abuse he has had to endure. He has been spat at, assaulted and received death threats from "pro-life" fanatics outside the clinics.
A security guard was murdered at a Melbourne abortion clinic on July 16.
Clinic workers and other organisations are campaigning for legislation like that passed in Canada which prohibits protesters from preventing access to clinics.
Cait Calcutt from Children by Choice called for the importation of Mifepristone, or RU486, to be legalised by the federal government. The federal Toxic Goods Act would have to be amended. RU486 acts as a progesterone inhibitor and is 95% effective. It can be dispensed by prescription and taken in the privacy of the home. These options offer a choice to thousands of women, Calcutt said.
RU486 is available in Britain, France, China and the US. ALP opposition leader Kim Beazley opposed a recent motion in parliament to legalise RU486.
The protesters marched to Parliament House to present the petition. Surprisingly, they were allowed to march into the foyer. A representative group of seven women from the IWD Collective were received by 13 ALP parliamentarians. The delegation again demanded the repeal of anti-abortion laws.
On August 9, Children by Choice organised a public debate on the question of whether the campaign should demand repeal of anti-abortion laws or their reform. The Queensland Alliance for Legal Abortion argued abortion be legalised up to 14 weeks. This would cover 98% of the 15,000 abortions carried out in Queensland annually. The IWD Collective countered that this would make abortions carried out after that time illegal.
On August 8 in Parramatta, in Sydney's western suburbs, reports Gail Lord, members and supporters of Resistance and the Democratic Socialist Party held a speak out on abortion rights in Parramatta Mall o support the national day of action. Activists wore sandwich boards that read, "My sperm is not sacred", "Hospitals not backyards for abortions" and "My uterus is not state-owned". A lot of women and quite a few men signed the pro-abortion petition.
Meanwhile, in Melbourne on August 11, Katie Neville and Margarita Windisch told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, 50 pro-choice demonstrators blockaded and disrupted a Right to Life conference at Genazzano College. Protesters from the Socialist Alliance and the Pro-Choice Coalition condemned the July 16 murder of a security guard at the Fertility Control Clinic.
The Right to Life conference is an annual anti-abortion summit and featured keynote speaker Senator Brian Harradine. Harradine is infamous for having introduced a private members' bill to prevent trials of RU486. Harradine is fiercely anti-abortion and has argued in the Senate against Australian aid to family planning clinics which perform abortions in Third World countries.
The main agenda item of the conference was to advocate the removal of abortion from the Medicare subsidy list.
Jackie Lynch from the Socialist Alliance criticised the mainstream political parties for allowing their parliamentarians a "conscience vote" on abortion rights. Socialist Alliance candidates and activists will make abortion and reproductive rights a key campaign for the coming federal elections, she said. Call the Socialist Alliance on 9639 8622 or the Pro-Choice Coalition on 0400 442 812.