Qld MPs: My choice is no crime

Qld MPs: My choice is no crime

Right now in Queensland abortion is still considered a crime. Our outdated laws mean that women seeking to abort their pregnancies are often denied treatments at hospitals - and face major barriers to access adequate reproductive healthcare.

This Wednesday Queensland MPs will decide whether or not a woman's decision to terminate her pregnancy continues to be criminalised. The vote is going to be extremely tight - and could be decided by any one of the two dozen MPs who are currently wavering.

The LNP could be about to deny their MPs a free vote on this issue; and anti-choice groups are ...

Right now in Queensland abortion is still considered a crime. Our outdated laws mean that women seeking to abort their pregnancies are often denied treatments at hospitals - and face major barriers to access adequate reproductive healthcare.

This Wednesday Queensland MPs will decide whether or not a woman's decision to terminate her pregnancy continues to be criminalised. The vote is going to be extremely tight - and could be decided by any one of the two dozen MPs who are currently wavering.

The LNP could be about to deny their MPs a free vote on this issue; and anti-choice groups are bombarding all undecided MPs and voters in their electorate with misinformation through online, radio and print advertising. There’s a risk that this noisy minority are all that these undecided MPs hear between now and the vote.

We need your help to show key MPs that their local constituents want them to stand up for women's rights. Can you contact your local MP and urge them to vote in support of the package decriminalising abortion?

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Email your MP

Right now anti-choice groups are bombarding MPs and their electorate with misinformation. Can you help show your local MP that you - like the majority of Queenslanders - want them to stop criminalising women's healthcare decisions?

Click the "Email Tips" link below for suggestions on what to include in your email.

 

Compose your email

Email Tips +

Here are our tips for putting together a quick and effective email, because we know personal emails from voters have more impact than copy and pastes:

  • Introduce yourself - Explain where you live and why you care about this issue. If you voted for your MP at the last election or have another personal connection to them, be sure to mention that. You don't need to write Dear XX... the system will automatically add in your MPs name
  • Explain the reason you're emailing - Let them know you're emailing to urge them to vote "yes" to the two Bills before parliament to decriminalise abortion. 
  • Share why you care about this issue. You may want to mention:
    • The current system is outdated, and clearly not working. You might want to refer to the fact that the Australian Medical Association Queensland has said that the current laws are "a barrier to a doctor's first duty - best patient care"
    • Current laws mean some women are being turned away from public hospitals and struggling to access appropriate service support
    • The importance of access to full reproductive healthcare for women trying to escape abusive partners
    • The current laws make it hard for women in rural and regional areas to access reproductive healthcare  
    • The new system proposed for Queensland is very similar to the current system in Victoria, which has been in place for almost 10 years
  • Let them know if this is an issue that will affect your vote. We know this is an extremely important issue to many people. If your MP's vote on this issue will affect your vote at the upcoming election, be sure to let them know.  
  • Thank them for their time and consideration.
    (We'll add your name and address details at the bottom)