Queensland Update

A new coalition has been launched in Queensland to campaign for abortion law reform. Called Pro Choice QLD, it is being coordinated by Children by Choice and includes a variety of groups. Among other efforts is a petition to the Queensland government, which can be signed by any of you out there who happen to be Queensland citizens (not just residents, i.e. must also be an Australian citizen). The group also has a facebook page. As readers will be aware, the case that brought Queensland’s abortion laws into the spotlight is that of 19-year-old Tegan Leach, who was charged in the Cairns Magistrates’ Court with procuring her own abortion. Her partner Sergie Brennan, 21, was charged with attempting to procure and supply drugs to procure an abortion.

The committal hearing in the Cairns Magistrates Court was held on Sept. 3 to decide if the case should proceed to trial. On 11 September the magistrate Sandra Pearson committed the couple to trial, Tegan Leach on a charge of procuring an abortion and Sergie Brennan on a charge of supplying drugs to procure an abortion.

Meanwhile, even though the case has prompted at least two Cairns doctors to stop prescribing RU486 for medical abortion, the abortion provider Marie Stopes International won approval to administer the medical abortion drug mifepristone at its clinics in Australia.

And according to the Brisbane Times, Marie Stopes has decided to prescribe the drug at its two South-East Queensland  centres.

Anti-abortion  groups have called Marie Stopes "fundamentally evil"  and likened it to terrorist group al-Qaeda, the Times said.

Green Left Weekly reported this month that groups in Australia opposed to women’s right to choose to have an abortion led a scare campaign against RU486.

As Green Left Weekly points out, a woman’s ability to choose to have an abortion varies greatly depending on where she lives – and the same is true in New Zealand. “RU486 needs to be made available for all Australian women equally, whether they live in cities or rural regions.”