Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute, has issued a stark warning that efforts to restrict abortion access in Australia represent a 'slippery slope' that threatens to undermine healthcare for women. Writing in The Canberra Times, Bennett draws on recent developments in the United States to illustrate the potential consequences of eroding reproductive rights.
US Precedents and Australian Risks
Bennett points to the US Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which ended federal protections for abortion and allowed states to impose severe restrictions. She notes that since then, 14 US states have enacted near-total abortion bans, and women have been forced to travel long distances or carry non-viable pregnancies to term. 'This is not a hypothetical scenario,' Bennett writes. 'It is a real and present danger if we fail to safeguard abortion as healthcare in Australia.'
Current Australian Landscape
While abortion was decriminalised in most Australian states and territories in recent years, Bennett highlights that access remains uneven. In Queensland, abortion is legal up to 22 weeks, but after that, a woman must obtain approval from two doctors. In South Australia, abortion was only fully decriminalised in 2022. Bennett argues that such restrictions create barriers, particularly for rural and low-income women. 'Abortion is time-sensitive and essential healthcare. Delays caused by bureaucratic hurdles can push women into later, more complex procedures,' she says.
Political and Religious Opposition
Bennett warns that anti-abortion groups are becoming more organised in Australia, citing the rise of '40 Days for Life' campaigns and political lobbying. She notes that in 2023, a private member's bill in the NSW Parliament sought to impose a 12-week gestational limit, though it did not pass. 'These efforts are often framed as compassionate, but they are designed to restrict access and stigmatise women,' Bennett writes. She quotes Dr. Caitlin Gribble, an obstetrician and gynaecologist, who says: 'Restricting abortion doesn't stop it; it just makes it unsafe.'
Healthcare, Not Politics
The Australia Institute deputy director emphasises that abortion is a routine medical procedure that one in three Australian women will undergo in their lifetime. She argues that treating it as a political or moral issue rather than a healthcare matter leads to harmful outcomes. 'When politicians interfere in medical decisions, they endanger women's lives,' Bennett states. She calls on all Australian governments to enshrine abortion as a healthcare right in law, beyond the reach of future parliamentary majorities.
Call to Action
Bennett concludes by urging Australians to remain vigilant. 'We cannot be complacent. The fight for reproductive freedom is never truly won; it must be defended every time it is challenged,' she writes. She encourages readers to support organisations that defend abortion access and to hold politicians accountable for their positions on reproductive rights.
