By Lara Pullin
CANBERRA — One of Canberra's biggest rallies in years was held on September 2 when many forces combined to express their opposition to MLA Paul Osborne's attempt to outlaw abortion in the ACT.
Canberra's city square was filled with 3000 protesters carrying placards stating: "Osborne — withdraw the bill"; "Osborne — ex-footballer, ex-cop — soon to be ex-politician"; and "Osborne's bill — an act of immaculate deception".
The rally was called by the pro-choice MLA's and women's health providers. Health minister and independent in the Liberal government Michael Moore chaired the rally. Speakers included doctors, the Family Planning Association (FPA), academics and pro-choice politicians.
Dr Clare Willington, a GP for 18 years and part-time medical assessor at the Reproductive Healthcare Clinic, the ACT's only abortion clinic, told the protesters that Osborne's comment that women give consent to abortion because they are not counselled about alternatives is an insult to the intelligence of women and doctors.
Willington, who has assessed thousands of women seeking terminations since the clinic was established in 1992, said she did not recall one case where full and informed consent had not been given. "Women are provided with more information about this procedure than many doctors provide for higher risk medical procedures", she said.
Dr Linda Wellbury from the ACT Division of General Practice (DGP) read a statement outlining the group's opposition to the bill on the grounds of its narrow definition of health, its failure to protect patient confidentiality and its impractical nature.
Wellbury announced the results of a DGP survey of ACT GPs which found that 90% opposed Osborne's bill.
Sandra Mackenzie, executive director of the FPA (which runs the abortion clinic), said the clinic would be forced to close if the bill is passed. We must ensure that there is not a return to the times of backyard or self-induced abortions, she said.
Professor David Ellwood, head of Women and Children's Services at the Canberra Hospital, also spoke. He has strongly opposed the bill on three grounds: it outlaws all terminations after 12 weeks' pregnancy; parental consent is required for women under 18 years old to have an abortion; and, "most importantly", control is removed from women and given to psychiatrists. "ACT psychiatrists, as a group, have rejected this power", he said.
Other speakers included federal Labor MP Kate Lundy, ACT chief minister Kate Carnell and ACT Labor MLAs who pledged that, because the bill was introduced in an "undemocratic" way, Labor will not adopt its usual "conscience" vote position and will instead vote as a block against the bill.
The Greens' MLA Kerrie Tucker was excluded from the official platform despite her strong pro-choice position and repeated requests to speak.
The night before the rally, more than 30 people from a range of organisations attended a campaign organising meeting called by ACT Pro-Choice. ACT Pro-Choice aims to defeat the Osborne bill, then continue to campaign for the removal of all abortion laws from the criminal code.
The meeting agreed that ACT Pro-Choice would call an open campaign meeting the week after the rally, and also organise another broad public rally on September 23 to coincide with the next sitting of the ACT Assembly, when debate on Osborne's bill could be allowed.
ACT Pro-choice also launched a petition at the September 1 rally calling on Osborne to withdraw his bill and, in the event he refuses, calling on all other MLAs to "Vote no". Thousands of signatures have already been collected.
On September 2, Labor's Wayne Berry put a motion to parliament asking Osborne to withdraw his bill. It is not yet clear whether the ALP's pledge to vote on block against the bill referred only to Berry's motion, or will extend to the vote on the bill itself.
Berry's motion referred to the lack of democratic process followed by Osborne, and stated that the bill is too restrictive and has no basis in the ACT constituency.
Labor lost the motion when Moore, Tucker and Carnell did not support it. These MLAs argued that forcing Osborne to withdraw the bill is "running away from the debate". According to Carnell, "We have never said you may not debate something that is important to you and possibly your constituency ... this is an issue which should be debated".
This "debate" was, however, generated by the Right to Life as a provocation. It does not reflect any significant debate in the population: a survey of more than 2500 people by the Canberra Times two weeks ago showed more than 80% opposition to Osborne's bill, and nearly as high support for abortion on demand.
Having allowed Osborne's bill to proceed in parliament on the grounds of "democracy", Moore, Carnell and Tucker must be pressured to support the decriminalisation of abortion for the same reason.
With the anti-abortion forces continuing to try to overturn liberal interpretations of the law which allow some abortion access (they are currently seeking a High Court ruling that abortion is illegal under criminal law), women's right to decide on abortion will remain under attack until the law reflects the overwhelmingly pro-choice public opinion and practice.
ACT Pro-Choice meets each Monday at 6pm, Meeting Room, Havelock House. Phone Pat on 6247 2424 or Amanda on 6201 2000 for more information.