Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Abortion is essential health care, and access to this procedure is a fundamental human right. But since the US Supreme Court's overturning of the Roe v Wade ruling last month we have seen in Australia how quickly these rights can be snatched away. Yes, the situation in Australia is different: abortion is legal but access to it is far from universal, nor is it guaranteed. In my home state of WA we have the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. If you want to get an abortion you first need to seek the approval of two doctors. If you are 20 weeks pregnant you then have to face a panel of six ethicist doctors, who will decide on your behalf if the procedure can go ahead. If you are under 16, your parents, legally, must be informed and must participate in mandatory counselling alongside you.

Let us be clear: the reason for accessing an abortion is no-one's business but the person who is seeking it. In WA, abortion is still regulated under the Criminal Code. What is patently a matter of health care is literally codified as a criminal issue. This is an outrageous state of affairs, as is the lethargy with which the state government has moved to update the archaic legislation. So our community has taken matters into its own hands, and on Friday an informal coalition will be presenting a petition to parliament to get abortion out of the Criminal Code and into the Public Health Act. (Time expired)