Tasmania, Australia Decriminalizes Abortion Making it Just Another Medical Procedure

International   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Nov 21, 2013   |   7:26PM   |   Washington, DC

Abortion is already legal in Australia, but the Australian state of Tasmania officially took abortion off the criminal code and will no longer view it as the taking of human life, but rather just another medical procedure.

Mark Brown, the director of the Australian Christian Lobby informed LifeNews in a press statement that he is disappointed with the move. His group is upset Tasmania’s upper house has passed legislation which will make it easier to obtain an abortion in the state.

Brown said abortion is already legal in the state but the passing of today’s Reproductive Health Bill, which removes abortion from the criminal code and puts it in the health code, means abortion in the state will no longer be seen as taking another life by our government but as a mere medical procedure.

“The rights of children are less protected under this framework then being in the criminal code which acknowledges this is not just another medical procedure,” he said.

He said women will have less restrictions to accessing abortion now that they didn’t have to get doctors’ consent for medical or psychological reasons until after 16 weeks.

“This means there’s less likelihood of a woman having informed consent about her decision. The majority of women and girls who have abortions do so because of a lack of support from partners, parents and friends. Research shows 70% of women say they felt they had no alternative to abortion ,” he said.

Brown said although aspects of the bill are less objectionable than originally, freedom of conscience hasn’t been upheld.

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“The law requires doctors with a conscientious objection to pass on a pamphlet with the options. But many doctors who are opposed to abortion say that they still feel complicit in the process by handing someone a document with a pamphlet of services,” he said.

“Freedom of speech has also been a casualty in this bill with the introduction of fines and the possibility of 12 month jail term for those who might hold a silent vigil outside an abortion clinic,” he said.

Mr Brown has praised those MLCs who voted against the legislation – Windemere MLC Ivan Dean, Launceston MLC Rosemary Armitage, Elwick MLC Adriana Taylor, Montgomery Liberal MLC Leonie Hiscutt and Rumney MLC Tony Mulder.