Each year 80,000 abortions are performed in Australia, with one in three women having a termination at some stage in their lives.
Each year 80,000 abortions are performed in Australia, with one in three women having a termination at some stage in their lives.
Even though it is one of the most commonly performed medical procedures, and one of the safest according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), every day a staggering 219 women die worldwide from a botched abortion. Decriminalising abortion is essential in our struggle to stop these preventable deaths.
Over the last two decades, opinion in favour of a woman's right to choose abortion has steadily increased.
A 2003 poll by the Australian Survey of Social Attitudes (AusSSA) found that more than 80% of people, and 84% of GPs, support choice. An Australian Election Study found that, in 2004, 54% believed "Women should to be able to obtain an abortion readily, when they want one", up from 38% in 1987.
Interestingly too, AusSSA found that 77% of religious respondents supported a woman's right to choose, and out of 1000 Catholics interviewed, 72% were pro-choice.
According to ProChoice Victoria, the Melbourne Anglican Church sent a submission to the Victorian Law Reform Commission this year supporting the "provision of safe and affordable abortions with appropriate safeguards for women who, for whatever reasons, request them".
Less than 5% of the population opposes abortion, but this tiny minority enjoys a sympathetic ear from politicians and is over-represented in state and federal parliaments.
Anti-abortion crusaders are also influencing the increasingly socially conservative ALP. A recent example is the support the Health Services Union gave to the anti-choice Labor candidate, Marlene Kairouz, in the recent Kororoit by-election.
This year the Victorian parliament will vote to decriminalise abortion, and three models are being advanced by the Victorian Law Reform Commission.
Abortion is still legally a crime, but is lawful under the 1969 Menhenitt ruling if a doctor decides that continuing a pregnancy endangers the woman's life or health. While abortion remains a crime, doctors are unable to provide the most appropriate medical care for fear of possible prosecution.
Out of the three proposals, only "Model C" gives women the decision-making power throughout her entire pregnancy. It recognises a woman's authority over her body.
The Socialist Alliance rejects the argument being peddled by the anti-abortion lobby that Model C will encourage more women to have terminations because it implies that women don't take responsibility for the choices they make.
There is also no evidence to suggest liberal abortion laws lead to higher termination rates. Sedgh, Henshaw, Singh, Ahman and Shah, in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet in 2007, found that "unrestrictive abortions laws do not predict a high incidence of abortion and by the same token, highly restrictive abortion laws are not associated with low abortion incidence".
While it is critical to remove abortion from the criminal code, it is equally important not to put the "crime" of abortion back into the Health Act, by imposing complex restrictions on access to services based on age or gestation.
Regulating abortion differently to other medical procedures perpetuates the sexist assumption that politicians and the legal fraternity are better placed then women themselves to decide when or if to have children.
The Socialist Alliance supports Model C and agrees with 54% of Australians who believe in removing all impediments for women to access abortion services.
We believe that abortion should be part of a comprehensively funded reproductive health program, which includes extensive sex education and freely available contraception.
Victorian Premier John Brumby is ignoring the only option that offers real choice for women, believing the debate in the ALP should be between Models A and B.
This is not good enough. In 2006, the state ALP conference overwhelmingly voted in favour of a woman's right to choose. But this vote is undermined by the ALP MPs' right to exercise a "conscience vote" on this subject.
We urge people to pressure MPs to vote in favour of Model C and women's reproductive rights. Let's not let a tiny reactionary minority impose their repressive agenda upon us all.
[Helen Laxton is a member of the Victorian Socialist Alliance.]