Women rally against Nile bill
By Rose McCann
SYDNEY — Three thousand people rallied and marched here on September 7 to support a woman's right to choose abortion.
The rally was called by the Women's Abortion Action Campaign and sponsored by women's health clinics and other women's organisations to protest against the right-wing threat to abortion services in this state.
Call to Australia Party leader Fred Nile, who holds the balance of power in the NSW upper house, will introduce a Procurement of Miscarriage Limitation Bill for debate on September 12.
The intention of the bill is to close down the freestanding, non-profit health clinics that provide 80% of abortion services in the state.
Speakers at the rally included Labor MLC Ann Symonds (the Labor Party as a whole has no position on the bill and is leaving it to each politician's individual conscience); Dr Jean Edwards, a general practitioner who spoke about the dark old days when abortion was very hard to obtain for most women and the dire consequences of that for women's lives; and Janet Fraser from the Sydney International Women's Day Collective.
"Abortion is not a matter to be decided by politicians, religious bigots, or public morals guardians. Abortion must be legalised. Abortion must be accessible. We must fight this bill and all other such bills by Fred Nile and his evil cohorts", said Fraser.
Women's organisations are planning to keep up the pressure around this issue. WAAC will continue to meet weekly, and a further rally will be held outside Parliament House on September 11.