Tasmania Becomes Third State in Australia to Legalise Abortion

Tasmania becomes the third Australian jurisdiction to decriminalise abortion.

Abortion within the first 16 weeks will now be legal in the state after the upper house voted in favour of allowing terminations with a 9 to 5 margin. The abortion must, however, be done with the consent of the woman. At least a couple of doctors must also agree on the abortion to make it legal. If any doctor chooses not to do the abortion, s/he must give the woman a list of doctors who will perform the abortion.

The ACT and Victoria are the other two Australian states that have already legalised abortion. The Labor-Green government has successfully passed the abortion bill after failing recently to pass a couple of other reform bills such as voluntary euthanasia and same-sex marriage. Health Minister Michelle O'Byrne was able to get the nod from the parliament on Thursday.

Ms O'Byrne believed that the new law was a significant move for women reform, the ABC reports. She said that the laws in the country reached the standards of the 21^st century. She also thought those now to live up to the expectations of the community and most of the opinions related to legal, medical as well as human rights. A section of the state population has, on the contrary, reacted quite strongly against the new law. Some doctors may resign protesting the law, anti-abortion activists claim.

The ABC reports the Jim Collins from Family Voice Australia seems worried about the provision in the law that compels unwilling doctors to give women a list of doctors who are willing to perform the procedure. Mr Collins has called a violation of the freedom of conscience of the doctors. There is shortage of evidence that shows that women do suffer from physical, emotional and spiritual harm due to abortion, he said.

However, Georgie Ibbott - a prominent pro-abortion figure - feels that the decriminalisation of abortion made the doctor less confused.