Make Abortion Legal in Queensland: Demand Reproductive Choice
- por: Care2.com
- destinatário: Queensland Premier Anna Bligh
Picture a young woman in a police station in Australia. She is reporting the rape she experienced the night before. In shock she recounts the horrifying details when suddenly it hits her: What if I'm pregnant? If she is in Queensland, then she is about to face an incredibly difficult decision. Does she see her pregnancy through, or does she risk committing a felony and take steps to seek out an abortion?
Abortion in Queensland is a criminal offense and punishable with 7-14 years imprisonment. Abortions are only granted if the pregnancy is deemed harmful to the mother's mental or physical well-being, or the physical well-being of the fetus. This means that pregnancies resulting from rape cannot be terminated, thus forcing already traumatized women to accept responsibility for an extreme life change that they are not prepared for.
Help support women's reproductive rights and protect Queensland rape victims by demanding that Premier Anna Bligh take a firm stance on abortion law reform.
Dear Premier Bligh,
As you well know, the current law in Queensland regarding abortion has been fodder for a longstanding debate about the reproductive rights of the women of your state.
Every year Queensland women face the reality that the government will not allow them to terminate an unintended or unwanted pregnancy. This antiquated law even prohibits rape victims from seeking abortions. This means that women who have undergone an already traumatic experience must now face the choice of being forced to carry a pregnancy to term and either take responsibility for a child they do not want or give the child up for adoption. Both of which can be emotionally and psychologically strenuous endeavors.
[Your comments here]
Please take a firm stance in favor of abortion law reform and protect a woman's right to reproductive choice in Queensland.
Sincerely,
Your name
