Alex Tighe, Adelaide

Angered by federal health minister Tony Abbott's claim that there is an “abortion epidemic” in Australia and calls by Coalition backbenchers for the federal government to restrict women's access to abortion services, on November 16, 160 women attended a pro-choice organising meeting.

The Adelaide Women's Health Centre, in conjunction with the office of the state minister for women, Stephanie Key, initiated the meeting, which heard a number of speeches outlining the history of the fight to win abortion access for women.

The Coalition for a Woman's Right to Choose was rejuvenated through the meeting, and will organise educational forums, leaflets for public distribution, articles for journals, as well as street actions. The meeting agreed to make the right to choose a key theme for the next International Women's Day in March 2005.

Vivian Messimeris reports from Melbourne that at a meeting in the Victorian Trades Hall on November 18, Leslie Cannold, Melbourne University academic and pro-choice campaigner, spoke of the threat being posed by Abbott's campaign to limit women's right to access to late-term abortion.

The meeting, attended by 70 people, discussed the aims and objectives of a campaign to defend women's access to abortion services. A number of working groups were established to investigate possibilities for the campaign.

In Brisbane, reports Lynda Hansen, 20 people attended a pro-choice picket of the Liberal Party's offices on November 18. Initiated by the Socialist Alliance, the picket was addressed by Cait Calcutt, co-coordinator for Children by Choice, Coral Wynter from the International Women's Day Collective and Amanda Dearden from Brisbane Rape and Incest Survivors Support Centre.

The picketers called on the state Labor government to take abortion out of the Queensland criminal code. Sections 224, 225 and 226 of the state Crimes Act make it illegal for doctors and health workers to assist or perform an act that terminates a woman's pregnancy.

From Green Left Weekly, November 24, 2004.
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