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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 10 Hansard (25 November) . . Page.. 2897 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

Bill, Dr Clare Willington, Dr Marjorie Cross, Dr Rosemary Yuille, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the ACT branch of the Australian College of Midwives, and the Women's Centre for Health Matters? I am asking these questions because I am challenging the conscience of members. As a woman in this Assembly, I am in the minority on an issue that affects women in the majority. I feel responsible to the Canberra community, particularly the women of Canberra, that have shown in many different ways, particularly through the rally that was attended by several thousand people, that they do not want this sort of legislation.

Here I will take the opportunity to remind the Government and Mr Osborne, although I do not know that they need differentiating, about consultation. As I read out this morning, if you look at the Chief Minister's protocol on consultation, four of the six matters listed relate directly to this kind of legislation. We need to have time to consult on the issues. I want to hear how consultation has been carried out by these members so that I can understand why they think that they have the support, the advice and the understanding on the issues.

I received a constituent letter that I would like to refer to from an older woman who recounts what it was like when abortion was illegal and women were forced to attend backyard abortionists. This older woman said:

During 1932, when the depression was at its height, my mother was one of those women -

who experienced abortion -

She was fortunate in not losing her life but for years afterwards she experienced ill health which would have been avoided had abortion been available legally. After her return home from hospital, she did not consult our family doctor as she feared she would again be "dobbed in" and pestered further by the attentions of the police.

A woman does not need the "advice" of priests, politicians, nor, as in times past, the "attention" of the police in this connection. Health procedures which women consider necessary to their wellbeing, including pregnancy termination, should be funded by Medicare. After all, men's conditions - such as prostate surgery - are funded by Medicare.

People with fundamentalist religious views are entitled to their opinions. They are not, however, entitled to influence, in any way, the availability of medical procedures that other men and women require. The turmoil two years ago in the St George area of Sydney, with the threat of the imposition on their hospital of the Sisters of Charity is a signpost as to how most people, men and women, feel in this regard.

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