In Queensland about 98% of abortions are for social reasons. That is, 98% of abortions in Queensland are abortions of convenience and they have nothing to do with the mothers health or foetal disability. 

Up until October 2018 abortion sat under the Criminal Code in Queensland, with allowance for abortion if a women’s physical or psychological health was under threat. Even under this legal system there were around 14,000 abortions a year in Queensland, a woman could easily obtain an abortion up to 20 weeks gestation (about a 5 month old baby).

In October 2018 radical abortion up to birth laws passed in Queensland which removed all restraint from abortion and have given abortionists free reign. The law is called the  Termination of Pregnancy Act and it was the work of a Labor State Government, who had extreme abortion laws as part of its policy platform going into the November 2017 election.

It one of the most brutal and extreme abortion laws in the world. It’s to our state’s great shame that a full-term healthy baby of a healthy mother can be legally aborted for any reason – such is the sick extremity of our laws.

Here are the main parameters of the Termination of Pregnancy Act:

• Abortion “on request” (no questions asked) to 22 weeks gestation.
• Abortion from 22 weeks up to birth is legal based on “social, physical or psychological circumstances”* – so in effect any reason, provided a second doctor signs off. But the second “doctor” can be a second abortionist – there is no requirement for impartiality, and the “sign-off” by the second doctor can be merely a phone call or email – there is no requirement for the second approving doctor to see the woman. Additionally there is no legal penalty if there is no second doctor – a law without a penalty is no law at all. 
• Sex-selective abortion is legal~.
• Doctors are compelled to refer for abortion under this law, even if it against their own conscience. 
• Absolutely NO “safeguards” for women considering abortion. 
• No ban on the particularly brutal partial-birth abortion technique.
• Babies born alive in failed abortions are left to die.^
• No comprehensive data reporting on abortion.
• No requirement to anaesthetize a baby prior to an abortion (including no pain relief given to late-term babies prior to an abortion).

 *”physical, psychological and social circumstances” is notably loose criteria for obtaining an abortion from 22 weeks up to birth. The Queensland Law Commission briefing paper accompanying the Termination of Pregnancy Bill explained that “social circumstances” also includes relationship breakdown or economic troubles. So physical, psychological, social, economic and relational circumstances essentially covers every part of human life. So the Queensland Labor government has legalised abortion up to birth for any reason. Similar laws in Victoria, with the exact wording for late-term abortions lead to an average 48% increase in late-term abortions. 

~ Sex-selective abortion is implicitly legal under the Termination of Pregnancy Act, as abortion is available on request (no questions asked) up to 22 weeks gestation and most women find out the gender of their child from 16 to 20 weeks gestation. If a woman wanted a sex-selective abortion past 22 weeks gestation it could be easily obtained under the very loose parameters for abortion from 22 weeks up to birth as explained above. There is incontrovertible evidence that sex selective abortions occur in Australia and under Labor’s law this is entirely legal.

^ Babies born alive in failed abortions are left to die. Queensland Health’s Clinical Guidelines on terminations of pregnancy (abortions) read: 

“If a live birth occurs…
..Do not provide life-sustaining treatment (e.g. gastric tubes, IV lines, oxygen therapy)

..Provide sensitive emotional support and reassurance to parents throughout the process and afterwards
..Document date and time end of life occurs”

We are determined to get these laws rolled back. Join the fight today.

Find out how your MP voted here

Queenslanders views on abortion

Even more babies will die under another Labor government 

THE LAWS WENT AGAINST COMMUNITY VIEWS ON ABORTION

CLICK HERE FOR YOUGOV GALAXY POLLING ON QUEENSLANDERS VIEWS ON ABORTION:

1. The Labor Government’s laws legalised abortion up to birth for any reason, but only 6% of Queenslanders agree with full-term abortion, which the Queensland Labor government legalised, and 60% of Queenslanders oppose abortion past 13 weeks gestation.

2. Labor’s law contains no safeguards for women considering abortion like counselling, checks to stop coercion, informed consent conditions and cooling-off periods. Yet 88% of Queenslanders think women should be offered counselling, as well as other safeguards. (See questions 9, 10 & 11)

3. The primitive practice of sex-selective abortion was implicitly legalised under the Termination of Pregnancy Act by allowing abortion on request to 22 weeks gestation (people can find out the gender of their child at 16 to 20 weeks gestation via a scan or earlier via a bloodtest) and then abortion to birth for loose reasons including “social circumstances”. But 83% of Queenslanders are opposed to sex-selective abortion, (see question 17)   Sex-selective abortion almost always discriminates against females – globally there are about 100 million missing girls due to sex-selective abortion of females and infanticide of girl babies. NB: The NSW Parliament in its 2019 abortion debate passed an amendment to  guard against sex-selective abortion.

4. Babies born alive in failed abortions in Queensland are left to die under the current law, yet 70% of Queenslanders believe the law should require these babies be given medical care (see question 8) NB: NSW law requires that babies born alive in failed abortions are given medical care.