A critical time to bring about a more just society for women

Change Victorian Abortion Law

In December 2007, the Victorian Law Reform Commission began a review of our State abortion laws. Women's Health West sees a three-pronged approach to change of the utmost importance - decriminalisation of abortion; improving women's access to a range of reproductive health services, including abortion; and ensuring that abortion is not regulated by the Health Act instead of the Crimes Act. The latter action would not only set up an expensive and unnecessary bureaucracy - there are many existing safeguards and best-practice guidelines available for regulating our health services - but also ignores the importance of women's control over reproductive decision-making.

The report of the VLRC was expected to go to the Attorney General on 28 March 2008, presenting a series of options to government to remove abortion offences from the Crimes Act 1958. This is likely to lead to a bill to remove abortion from the Crimes Act. As a result, we have a unique opportunity from April 2008 to ensure that the laws governing abortion reflect public opinion - only 9 percent of Australians are opposed to abortion - and to reverse women's long-time exclusion from control over reproductive decision-making. This is one of the greatest opportunities we have had to bring about equitable outcomes for individual women, as well as for women as a group.

We need your help to do this!

While women's health services in Victoria are held in high regard by government and related bodies for their well-researched and considered opinion on a range of topics relating to women's health and wellbeing, the more people that publicly voice their support for these changes, the better informed are those responsible for decision-making. Those opposed to abortion are a tiny minority in Victoria, but they are loud and well-resourced, which can often make their opinion seem like the majority opinion to the politicians who will make decisions about women's health on behalf of us all.

Do your bit: Action Kit

We have outlined some ideas for actions you can choose from. It doesn't matter how small your contribution, once it is added to all the other contributions, you can make a huge difference!

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