Abortion in SA: Where are we now and what needs to be done?
Monday, 8 August 2005, 2:00 pm
Union Cinema, Level 5, Union Building, Adelaide University
Abortion in SA: Where are we now and What needs to be done?
In 2004, there was an emergency meeting called at Women's Health Statewide. In response to Tony Abbot's suggestion that abortion was becoming an `epidemic' and abortion laws and Medicare funding of terminations should be restricted, women around the community came together to discuss and take action on this issue. So many women felt inspired to take part in this discussion that the room in which the forum was held overflowed and women spilled out onto the stairs. The Australian government has not made a clear stance on whether it plans to limit funding of terminations, but we still hear the occasional anti-choice murmurings of politicians including Abbot. So the women's movement waits, not knowing for sure if any of these murmurings will escalate into real changes in regards to abortion laws and funding. How can they and other pro-choice people move forward and get support on this issue, improving services and laws that are already limited? Furthermore, how do these attacks affect young women, specifically those who are studying at university, and how can young people help to improve abortion laws and services?
