Grab your picket signs and lace up your boots. It’s time to march for women’s rights.
If you’re pissed off about our mates in the states dealing with heaps of abortion ban bullshit, and if you feel some Aussie abortion restrictions totally infringe on women’s autonomy—I have an outlet for you.
Our Body Our Choice is hosting a march in Hyde Park, Sydney on June 9th from 11:30 A.M to 3 P.M. According to the host’s Facebook page, 1,700 people say they’re going and 8,500 people are interested. So it should be popping’.
In Australia, we’re pretty progressive in regards to women’s right to choose. However, there are some cringey legal limitations. I mean Queensland just decriminalised abortions on October 17, 2018. That’s less than a bloody year ago.
In NSW and SA, abortions can result in legal repercussions. Under The Crimes Act of 1990 a woman and her doctor can receive 10 years imprisonment for an “unjust abortion.” That’s eerily close to the legislation in The US we’re all freaking out about.
However, the craziest part is many people in NSW aren’t even aware abortions can be a prison-worthy offence. In NSW three-quarters of people weren’t even aware abortion could result in legal penalties, according to a survey conducted by The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health in 2018. So Aussies, definitely look into what abortion limitations your state holds. The more you know, the better off you’ll be.
Fortunately, the law in NSW and SA allows women seeking an abortion to do so if it “prevents serious danger to a pregnant woman’s physical or mental health, taking into account economic, social or medical reasons”.
While the limitations on abortions aren’t very restrictive in NSW and SA, it worries me that jail time is still in the code. Like that sounds pretty crazy, right?
So Aussies, now is your time to mobilise. Shout from the rooftops. March through the streets. Make NSW a better place for women.
Image Source: Giphy.com, Unsplash
