QLD abortion standoff: Rees should pre-empt the same in NSW

Premier Anna Bligh is struggling to urgently amend Queensland laws to
solve a stand-off where hospitals are refusing to provide medical
abortions, forcing women seeking abortions to travel interstate to NSW,
Victoria and the ACT.
   
"The Rees government claims our current abortion laws are fine as they
stand. What's happening in Queensland illustrates that no woman or
doctor is safe from criminal prosecution," Ms Rhiannon said. 

"The NSW Attorney General's claim that our laws are adequate is naïve.
It attempts to instil a false sense of security in women and doctors.

"The situation in Queensland should spur Premier Nathan Rees to
instigate a law reform process that leads to decriminalisation of
abortion in NSW.

"Queensland has almost identical abortion laws to NSW. Because of the
Cairns case hospitals in that state are refusing to provide medical
abortions.

"Premier Bligh is now trying to push through urgent amendments, seeking
to provide a defence for doctors performing medical abortion to end the
hospital stand-off.

"The best solution is to decriminalise abortion and regulate it through
our health laws.

"In a tragic case this week, a 24 year old was forced to travel from
Brisbane to Lismore to have a severely malformed foetus terminated
because of the lack of hospital services for medical terminations in
Queensland.

"In 2009 women and medical professionals in NSW should have the surety
of modern abortion laws that now exist in Victoria and the ACT.

"No woman seeking an abortion should have to face court on criminal
charges or be forced to cross borders to obtain this procedure," Ms
Rhiannon said.

For more information: 9230 3551, 0427 861 568
Read more about Lee Rhiannon's campaign to decriminalise abortion.