Stop the attack on Abortion Care in NSW

NSW Legislative Council is debating a bill that will see abortion care re-criminalised, nurses and doctors face jail and women interrogated when seeking an abortion in NSW.

NSW already has some of the worst abortion access in the country. This bill will make it far harder, and it’s designed to be just the beginning of rolling back

When proposing the bill, Ruddick, who believes that life begins at conception, said he hopes this Bill is “The beginning of reversing the tide against radical abortion laws that we currently have in New South Wales.”

NSW MLC John Ruddick has introduced ...

NSW Legislative Council is debating a bill that will see abortion care re-criminalised, nurses and doctors face jail and women interrogated when seeking an abortion in NSW.

NSW already has some of the worst abortion access in the country. This bill will make it far harder, and it’s designed to be just the beginning of rolling back

When proposing the bill, Ruddick, who believes that life begins at conception, said he hopes this Bill is “The beginning of reversing the tide against radical abortion laws that we currently have in New South Wales.”

NSW MLC John Ruddick has introduced a bill that would send doctors and nurses to jail for up to five years for providing abortion care for sex selective purposes.

When the sex of a fetus can be determined from 10 weeks of gestation, this effectively creates a situation where doctors and nurses could face the prospect of criminal penalties if they are unable to prove a patient wasn’t seeking an abortion for sex-selective purposes.

If passed, this change will result in less doctors willing to provide abortion care after 10 weeks of pregnancy; more interrogation of patients; and denial of critical care for those who can’t prove their need for abortion care isn’t sex-selective.

There is little evidence that sex-selective abortion is a real issue in Australia and NSW health has policies against sex selection.

We need to send a clear message to Members of the Legislative Council that the NSW community opposes attempts to restrict and criminalise abortion care. We expect it will be debated again in parliament on June 24. Can you make sure they see a wave of community opposition in their inbox before they're asked to vote on this Bill?

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Subject:

I am deeply concerned about John Ruddick’s Sex Selective abortion bill that is currently before the NSW Legislative Council.

I believe that people in NSW should have access to safe and legal abortion care when and where they need it; and that the current laws provide the right framework.

I am worried that this bill will make abortion care harder to access in NSW.

I am particularly concerned that the bill threatens doctors and nurses with criminal penalties, which could make healthcare workers fearful about providing abortion care at all.

The sex of a fetus can be determined from 10 weeks gestation. If passed, this bill would create a situation where doctors could face the prospect of criminal penalties if they can’t prove a patient wasn’t seeking an abortion for sex-selective purposes.

This will inevitably result in more doctors unwilling to provide abortion care due to the risk; more interrogation of patients when they do; and denial of critical care for patients.

Imagine you’re a doctor, a young woman presents seeking abortion care - she is clearly distressed; has left an unsafe situation; and feels trapped by the pregnancy.  However, you can’t prove she doesn’t know the sex of the fetus. Do you take the risk of being sent to prison, to provide her with the care she so obviously needs?

There are also some devastating, sex-linked health conditions. The ban could discourage a patient who is a carrier of a sex-linked condition from having honest, confidential conversations about her concerns with her doctor, out of fear that she will be denied the ability to make decisions about what is best for her or their family.

Please vote against this bill and protect access to safe abortion care in NSW.

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