Queensland Update 2

The case of 19-year-old Tegan Leach and her boyfriend, 21-year-old Sergie Brennan, took Queensland one more step closer to the 19th century on Friday when a magistrate ordered the pair to stand trial in a case that could see Ms. Leach imprisoned for 7 years. I say “nineteenth century” because that’s the era from which the law governing this case comes.

The charges relate to Ms. Leach’s alleged use of abortion drugs to procure an abortion.
(For full background on the case, click here.) Ms Leach, is in a secret location in north Queensland since the house she was living in was firebombed. In addition the couple’s car was vandalized and Ms. Leach has lost her job. According to her solicitor, quoted in the Sunday Mail (Brisbane), ‘the poor girl thinks the world’s against her.’ (Who wouldn’t?)

Here are some relevant links:

Pro-Choice groups in Queensland and Australia, which offer options to donate money and, if you  happen to be a Queensland resident (or know someone who is), action you can take:

An opinion piece from Saturday (12 Sept) by Caroline de Costa, a Cairns professor of obstetrics and gynaecology and one of the first two Australian doctors to be approved to prescribe RU486:

Interestingly, in a reversal of the usual flow of abortion seekers across the Tasman, de Costa points out in the article that because of the legal turmoil in Queensland, some women are having to travel abroad – to New Zealand and India – for abortions. So far, 30 known cases, paid for by Queensland Health.