We are duty bound to rule out archaic abortion laws

IN just over a week, the Queensland Parliament will consider whether to keep abortion in the Criminal Code or finally treat this matter as a health issue and not a crime.

It’s important to note that our current laws were created at a time when women were not able to vote or forge a career and when women were denied a voice. These laws need to change. The Palaszczuk Government has introduced a bill to Parliament, based on recommendations made by the Queensland Law Reform Commission, to bring our state in to line with other jurisdictions and the 21st century.

I’ve had hundreds of Gold Coast residents contact my office in support of these reforms.

Last month I heard from an ex-soldier in Nerang whose daughter-in-law was harassed as she entered a private abortion clinic. This was a wanted pregnancy that was non-viable, meaning the foetus had no chance of being born alive.

No woman in this situation deserves to be harassed.

Yet that’s exactly what antichoice campaigners did when she approached the clinic. This is one of the many reasons we want to introduce Safe Access Zones in Queensland.

I don’t think that politicians should sit in judgment of women whose shoes we’ve not walked in.

Respecting women means respecting each woman’s right to make a decision about her own health with her doctor.

Unfortunately, at the moment, I am the only Gold Coast Member of Parliament who has committed to voting in favour of changing these archaic laws.

We know that we have the majority on our side. A recent poll shows that more than 70 per cent of Gold Coasters support the decriminalisation of abortion.

For a large portion of my life, the city that I was born in and grown up in has been Liberal Party heartland. The concept that governments should not unreasonably interfere or restrict the freedoms and rights of individuals used to be paramount to the Liberal Party.

You would have thought that a party with the word ‘Liberal’ in their name would have championed the marriage equality debate. The Gold Coast overwhelmingly voted ‘yes’, with figures above the state and national average. Unfortunately the Gold Coast LNP MPs showed no leadership during this emotive debate.

The Liberals seem to be going through an identity crisis with the faceless, unelected powerbrokers calling the shots and threatening MP’s pre-selections if they vote in favour of giving women freedom over their own body.

This is a test for every LNP Member of Parliament on the Gold Coast.

Will they stand up for their electorates and their core values or will they ignore the views of our city?

This legislation will likely stand or fall based on the votes of Gold Coast MPs.

MEAGHAN SCANLON, MEMBER FOR GAVEN AND ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR TOURISM, INDUSTRY AND DEVELOPMENT