Never mind America, access to abortion is a ‘nightmare’ for many Australians

Never mind America, access to abortion is a 'nightmare' for many Australians
by Van Badham
Monday 30 January 2017

Despite widespread popular support, legislation around abortion in Australia remains subject to political deal-making, leaving access for regional women shamefully limited.

It was unsurprising to American women that their new president moved so swiftly to limit women’s access to reproductive autonomy. Less than a week into his regime, President Trump has reinstated a Ronald Reagan policy known as the “global gag rule”.

Abortion wars are, of course, a visible hallmark of American politics, where denying a woman’s right to choose has long been used as a wedge by Republicans to chip white voters away from supporting Democrat candidates. But while a thumping majority of Australians support women’s abortion rights – around 80%, according to reliable polls – the gap between what we say we believe in here and what we legislate is larger than many would imagine.

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Source, The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/30/never-mind-america-access-to-abortion-is-a-nightmare-for-many-australians