Our Bodies, Our Decision

With Queensland decriminalising abortion, does this mean Australian women finally have complete control over their bodies? Not yet, writes Alexandra Carlton.

- Alexandra Carlton

When Queensland passed its historic abortion laws in October, the state erupted in celebration. Crowds cheered outside parliament. Brisbane’s Kurilpa Bridge was illuminated with purple lights to commemorate the moment when women could finally take control of their own bodies and lawfully seek a pregnancy termination without fear of criminal reprisal. And female MPs hugged each other as the bill, which allows women to end their pregnancies up to 22 weeks on request and established safe zones around abortion clinics, passed into law. Witnessing the euphoria, you could be forgiven for thinking Queensland was Australia’s final hold-out state on women’s reproductive rights. Abortion laws nationally, you might assume, have finally limped into the 21st century with equality and safety for all. Except they haven’t.

In fact, there are still outdated and sexist laws and practices that inhibit women’s reproductive rights all over Australia, not just on abortion but contraception as well. A recent survey published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health revealed three-quarters of respondents did not know that abortion is still a criminal offence in NSW, punishable by up to 10 years in jail. In South Australia, two doctors must agree that a woman’s mental or physical health is endangered by a pregnancy before they allow a termination, and then it must be performed in an “approved hospital”, limiting access for many. The maximum punishment for an unlawful abortion in SA? Life imprisonment.