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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 9 Hansard (2 September) . . Page.. 2836 ..
MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):
The pictures must stay. New Zealand does it. Most people have seen the information from New Zealand which was put together with the assistance of Family Planning. I find it interesting that people are afraid of pictures. That is what it boils down to.
I accept that this was a debate about pictures being in the pamphlet. Mr Stanhope also said:
It is just how insensitive it is to require a woman who has made the decision that it is in her best interests to seek an abortion to be forced to endure having to look at a series of pictures of foetuses from two weeks of conception to 40 weeks.
Other members made those sorts of comments, based on the fact that passage of that legislation meant we would have pictures. Mr Speaker, I could predict very comfortably that those who are today defending the right of the panel to decide on this matter would not be defending the panel if there had been a decision by the panel to include pictures.
Mr Berry: Because it would not have been in here.
MR HUMPHRIES: They would not have been defending the panel's decision out in the community.
Mr Berry: The debate would not have happened.
MR HUMPHRIES: It would have been out in the community, Mr Speaker.
Mr Berry: Yes, that is right, but it would not have been in here.
MR HUMPHRIES: Out in the community there would have been a debate about that, Mr Speaker, and those opposite would have been attacking the idea of pictures being in the pamphlet. They would have been attacking it, Mr Speaker.
Mr Stanhope: And those on your side.
Mr Berry: And we still are.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I heard those opposite in silence and ask for the same courtesy.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, please.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, the people opposite are defending this panel quite unexpectedly. They were not expecting to be able to come into this place and defend this panel because they were expecting, when the legislation was passed last year, that they were going to end up with pictures in the pamphlet. They have not. They have got to accept that the debate has already been held and, from their point of view, it has been lost.
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