EFFIE BATEMAN | Lifestyle | Contact
Women across Queensland are rallying for the state election to be decided through an arm-wrestle between Labor candidate Steven Miles and Liberal candidate David Crisafulli, as tensions rise over recent revelations that reproductive rights could be on the chopping block.
This follows the Katter Party’s announcement that they will be pursuing support for a private members’ bill aimed at restricting access to abortions, which led to Crisafuli being asked for his stance on the matter during his campaign trail in Townsville today.
Pausing before ominously answering that his ‘team knows his plan’, Crisafulli refused to explain any further, though given his party’s history of voting against abortion decriminalisation and his tendency to adopt right-wing American rhetoric, many women in Queensland can sense where this is heading.
Proving that Australia really is just America lite, abortion has been a hot topic in politics lately, with the South Australian MP Ben Hood recently proposing an amendment to the state’s abortion laws that would mandate women to have an induced birth and place the baby for adoption after 27 weeks and six days, stating that ‘anything else is foeticide.’
Current laws stipulate that late term abortions, which make up fewer than 1% of abortions, can be carried out only in circumstances deemed “medically appropriate” by two health practitioners – i.e either the mother’s mental or physical wellbeing is at serious risk, or there is significant concern with the foetus.
Taking to the streets, The Advocate learns asks some local women their thoughts on the upcoming election – including an innovative new way to call the election.
“Here’s an idea, instead of counting votes, let it be decided via an arm wrestle’, says one local woman, “If they’re so obsessed with people’s bodies, they can put theirs on the line!”
“I think that’s fair, don’t you?”
More to come.
