Abortion Law – Inadequate Legislation

ilSource: Sykes Media Release - 18.09.08

The Abortion Law Reform Bill 2008 in its current form is poorly drafted legislation.

Put simply, the Bill achieves its stated objective of decriminalising abortion which many people support but it fails to provide adequate safeguards for late term, viable, healthy babies which many people are concerned about.

In my opinion, the Bill can be substantially improved by requiring a panel of medical, mental health and other relevant experts to be involved in decisions relating to all abortions after 20 weeks gestation.

The panel system already functions at the Royal Women’s Hospital and the Monash Medical Centre for abortions after 23 and 24 weeks respectively.

At these centres, late term abortions are almost solely performed because the unborn child has serious congenital abnormalities.

One private clinic, which only requires two doctors to agree to late term abortion, performs a considerable number of late term abortions for ‘psycho social’ reasons.

Whilst I have grave reservations about late term abortions for “social” reasons I am advised by experts in the field that there are some very complex social situations where regrettably, late term abortion is considered the best option.

The Bill was passed in the Legislative Assembly last week (49 votes to 32) without amendment.

This was in spite of there being over forty amendments prepared by six MPs including four Labor MPs.

I and other supporters of the amendments hope that when the Bill is debated in the Legislative Council in October that these or similar amendments will be passed to achieve safeguards for late term, viable, healthy babies.

This outcome is distinctly possible because of the different composition of the Legislative Council and the Members will have had time to reflect on the debate in the Legislative Assembly prior to debating and voting on the amendments and the Bill.