The survey [1], conducted nationally on over 500 GPs and 500 women who had experienced an unplanned pregnancy, showed that 75% of GPs and women supported removing abortion from the Criminal Code.
“The majority of Australian women and GPs are telling us that they want abortion to be removed from the Criminal Code – why isn’t the Queensland government listening to and representing the majority view?” said Jill Michelson, National Clinical Adviser for Marie Stopes International Australia.
“The retention of abortion in the Criminal Code stigmatises women and couples who choose it, reducing their access to accurate information and their willingness to seek timely support.
“In 2002, abortion was repealed from the Crimes Act in the ACT, and in 2008 the law in Victoria was successfully reformed for women.
“It is time Queensland and the rest of Australia follows and removes the risk of prosecution for women and doctors.”
According to Cait Calcutt, spokesperson from Queensland based unplanned pregnancy counselling and information service, Children by Choice, “this survey confirms opinion poll trends that consistently show that around 4 out of 5 Queenslanders support legalising abortion.”
Other key findings from the survey include:
- Less than one in ten women (9%) believed that women should not have access to termination services.
- 87% of GPs felt that termination services should be available to all women.
- Two in five Australian women would be more likely to vote for a politician who helped remove abortion from the Criminal Code (40%), and more than one-third felt that a politician’s promise to remove abortion from the Criminal Code would not have any impact on their vote (37%).
The release of the survey comes a week before Queenslander, Tegan Leach, is due to face trial for one count of procuring her own abortion - which reportedly carries a maximum penalty of seven years' jail.
“The fact that a young Queensland woman is going to trial next week for organising her own abortion really is archaic and should not be happening in this day and age,” said Ms Michelson.
“A woman’s right to choose the spacing and timing of her family has been internationally recognised as a human right since the 1960s, yet we seem to be punishing this poor girl for exercising her right.
“The case is just further proof of the need to urgently review Queensland’s abortion laws and remove abortion from the Criminal Code once and for all.
“We urge all MPs to work together to decriminalise abortion in Queensland and to rectify the intolerable situation this young woman finds herself in.”
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About Marie Stopes International Australia: The Marie Stopes International Australia global partnership provides vital sexual and reproductive healthcare services to approximately 7 million people in over 40 countries worldwide. Marie Stopes offers a range of services and advice through our licensed and accredited centres in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia. Marie Stopes in Australia also provides life saving support to country partner programs in the Asia-Pacific and with Indigenous communities. Surplus funds from our Australian centres are donated to help these programs grow. For more information, visit www.mariestopes.org.au or call Toll Free 1800 003 707
