A major coordinated campaign to decriminalise abortion in NSW was launched today by a new advocacy coalition - the NSW Pro-Choice Alliance.
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties is a foundation member of this new broad-based Alliance and will continue our half century of advocacy for abortion law reform through active participation in the Alliance campaign.
The formation of this Alliance around a renewed campaign to achieve the long overdue decriminalisation of abortion in NSW is an exciting and significant development.
There is reason to hope this alliance of over 60 organisations will be able to persuade members of the NSW Parliament across political divisions to remove the current archaic and cruel law criminalising abortion and allow the women of NSW the right to make their own decisions about their reproductive health.
After all, this is a right which is available to women in every other state and is supported by a clear majority of the community in NSW.
Pro-Choice goals
The NSW Pro-Choice Alliance represents expert legal, health and community voices across NSW. We are campaigning to remove abortion from the NSW Crimes Act and to ensure that abortion is regulated like any other health procedure.
We recommend the repeal of sections 82-84 of the NSW Crimes Act 1900 and the implementation of legislation similar to Queensland’s Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018 and Victoria’s Abortion Law Reform Act 2008.
We seek changes so that the law will:
- Regulate abortion as a health procedure
- Ensure consistency with contemporary clinical practice, and public health standards
- Empower women with the right to choose what happens to their own bodies, and guarantee equal access to safe, high quality healthcare, and
- Align with international human rights obligations
Next steps
The Alliance will be discussing the proposed reforms with the Government, Opposition and other members of Parliament as well as seeking further community support.
NSWCCL urges CCL members and supporters to contact their local members and members of the Legislative Council and discuss the urgent need for decriminalisation of abortion in NSW.
