Post by Erica Chan on Jul 20, 2010 19:21:16 GMT -5
Background
Just as a catch up, last year a 19 year old girl in Queensland terminated her pregnancy using imported RU486, a drug that was actually being trialled at the time in Queensland itself. She and her partner were charged with procuring an abortion, and the trial starts this year.
Essentially, the case is being used as a trial case by conservatives and anti-choicers to try to recriminalise abortion, not just in Queensland, but all over Australia. This is obviously problematic for a number of reasons, not only because such a move would severely hamper women's choice and women's decisions, but also because it has been shown time and time again that when abortions are made criminal, women die in grotesquely painful ways in their attempts to regain control over their own body.
For more information on the case and the movement against it, see this Brisbane Times article and ProChoice Queensland
So What You Can Do?
o The trial is being used as a test case to see how accepted/unaccepted abortion is in Queensland and across Australia. What you can do is write to/contact some Queensland MPs and let them know that you support the couple, support women's choice, and support the legalisation of abortion in Queensland.
You can find a parliament.qld.gov.au/view/legislativeAssembly/members_current.asp]list of Queensland MPs here.
o Be a voice for choice - talking about it with family and friends can help spread the awareness of how important this is
o Contact talkback radio 4BC, ABC Brisbane, find your local ABC station.
o Vote at GetUp! and tell them that you think the decriminalisation of abortion nation-wide is an important issue they should be campaigning on here.
o Write to your newspaper! The Australian, Courier Mail, The Age, etc.
o Comment on discussion forums online and follow the issue on Twitter!
o If you really want to, you can also buy some great merchandise at ChildrenbyChoice, with the money going to the Women's Access Fund or to other political work.
Just as a catch up, last year a 19 year old girl in Queensland terminated her pregnancy using imported RU486, a drug that was actually being trialled at the time in Queensland itself. She and her partner were charged with procuring an abortion, and the trial starts this year.
Essentially, the case is being used as a trial case by conservatives and anti-choicers to try to recriminalise abortion, not just in Queensland, but all over Australia. This is obviously problematic for a number of reasons, not only because such a move would severely hamper women's choice and women's decisions, but also because it has been shown time and time again that when abortions are made criminal, women die in grotesquely painful ways in their attempts to regain control over their own body.
For more information on the case and the movement against it, see this Brisbane Times article and ProChoice Queensland
So What You Can Do?
o The trial is being used as a test case to see how accepted/unaccepted abortion is in Queensland and across Australia. What you can do is write to/contact some Queensland MPs and let them know that you support the couple, support women's choice, and support the legalisation of abortion in Queensland.
You can find a parliament.qld.gov.au/view/legislativeAssembly/members_current.asp]list of Queensland MPs here.
o Be a voice for choice - talking about it with family and friends can help spread the awareness of how important this is
o Contact talkback radio 4BC, ABC Brisbane, find your local ABC station.
o Vote at GetUp! and tell them that you think the decriminalisation of abortion nation-wide is an important issue they should be campaigning on here.
o Write to your newspaper! The Australian, Courier Mail, The Age, etc.
o Comment on discussion forums online and follow the issue on Twitter!
o If you really want to, you can also buy some great merchandise at ChildrenbyChoice, with the money going to the Women's Access Fund or to other political work.