Tell Your MPs To Represent Your Voice!

Legal Process Although the jury in the Cairns abortion trial returned a not guilty verdict, the danger is not over. While these laws remain on the books, women are at risk of prosecution for seeking abortion - as are doctors for providing it. Minor changes to legislation in 2009 were not enough to clarify the law and remove doctors concerns, and public services are even more difficult to access than previously. Anecdotal evidence suggests even women with severe health problems or those who are victims of sexual assault are unable to access an abortion in a public hospital. Opinion polling taken in May 2009 shows that 79% of Queenslanders want the law changed so abortion is no longer a crime, while an article published in July 2010 in the Medical Journal of Australia found almost 90% of Australians support legal abortion in the first trimester.

What you can do:

Call your local MP to support a woman's right to decide at all stages of pregnancy. Take action now! Tell them no women should be left behind. Let them know that while you want them to vote in favour of law reform, you want a law that will benefit everyone, not just doctors. Alternatively, send an email to your MP today.

Join Pro Choice Qld. Be a voice for choice!
Help us by speaking out about abortion - if you or your partner have chosen a termination and would like to share your story, please email us - coordinator@prochoiceqld.org.au. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Show your support for choice by donating online or by cheque/money order.
Email us with your mailing address and we can send you out some stickers for your car, your workplace or your friends (this e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it). Give them out to colleagues and co-workers, put them in the resource area of your workplace or organisation, stick them anywhere you think they will be visible – it’s up to you!

Here are some points you may wish to consider in writing to your MPs:

In Queensland, abortion laws are now over 100 years old and date from the 19th century.
Polls consistently show that around 80% of the Australian population supports decriminalisation. In Queensland-specific polling, a survey conducted by independent pollsters Auspoll in May 2009 found 79% of respondents wanted the law changed so abortion is no longer a crime. A study published in the Medical Journal of Australia in 2010 found that 90% of Australians support access to abortion.
Legal, health and social welfare experts have repeatedly recommended the reform of abortion law to provide certainty for women and doctors across many jurisdictions, including Queensland. These include bodies such as the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Australian Medical Association Queensland, Amnesty International, the Public Health Association of Australia, Sexual Health and Family Planning Australia, and others.
In April 2009, a 19 year old woman and her 21 year old partner were charged in Cairns after allegedly using an abortifacient drug to end a pregnancy. No woman has been charged under this section of the Criminal Code before in Queensland. The couple were acquitted but while these laws remain, women are still at risk of prosecution.
Abortion is a decision many Queensland women and their partners face – statistics estimate that up to one in three women in Australia will choose abortion during their lifetime.
Taking no action on this case and on law reform is taking a stance by default. It is effectively saying that abortion should be a criminal offence, and that any woman who has had or will have an abortion should face seven years in jail.

Pro Choice QLD will protect your privacy and keep you posted about this and similar campaigns.

Note: Your message will be cc'd to you when it is forwarded to your MP. It will contain your name, email, postcode and suburb, as well as the subject line and email text you write yourself.