Fed: Pro-choice advocates slam Abbott

AAP General News (Australia)
08-08-2004
Fed: Pro-choice advocates slam Abbott

By Peter Jean

CANBERRA, Aug 8 AAP - Abortion rights advocates today placed coat hangers in front
of federal Health Department offices in Sydney, just hours before a controversial television
documentary was due to go to air.

The ABC will tonight screen the documentary My Foetus, which features footage of a
four-week-old foetus being sucked out of a woman's womb using the "manual vacuum aspiration"

technique.

The film was made by UK film-maker Julia Black, who describes herself as pro-choice.

Protesters led by Greens Senator Kerry Nettle marked National Abortion Rights day by
placing coat hangers attached with personal messages to Health Minister Tony Abbott, who
is opposed to abortion, in front of government offices in Darlinghurst.

"(The coat hangers) represent the countless number of women who have died as a result
of having to undergo abortions in unsafe conditions," Senator Nettle said in a statement.

Mr Abbott today welcomed the renewed public debate over abortion but was accused of
repeatedly misrepresenting the views of some feminists.

He said he had not begun the abortion debate but it would be wrong for him to not be
frank about his views.

"Obviously I have some views and it would be wrong of me not to be frank with people
about it," he told the Nine Network.

"I think the 100,000 abortions we have in Australia are a national tragedy and the
interesting thing is that a lot of people who were the great advocates of choice two decades
ago are themselves having second thoughts.

"So a debate has begun and let's see where it goes."

Feminist leaders Wendy McCarthy and Eva Cox were last month quoted as saying there
should be a public debate about late-term abortions.

Ms McCarthy said she believed the 20-week restriction imposed on most abortions was
still appropriate and Ms Cox has since said she does not believe any legislative restrictions
should be placed on abortions.

Ms Cox today denied she had called for discussion or debate on late-term abortions.

"I just think that Abbott should sort of literally put a sock in it because I'm tired
of sort of being misquoted and I think Wendy McCarthy feels very strongly this way," Ms
Cox said.

"We're not revising our views.

"None of us have changed our views on women's choice.

"I think Tony Abbott is just sort of very nastily misquoting and misusing things."

Right to Life Australia chairwoman Margaret Tighe said pro-choice advocates appeared
to feel threatened by a re-examination of the abortion debate which was taking place because
of the publicity given to My Foetus.

"I guess they're feeling threatened because of the enormous publicity given to the
screening of this film," Mrs Tighe said.

Australian Democrats status of women spokeswoman Natasha Stott Despoja also today criticised
Mr Abbott's statements on abortion.

"The health minister is unnecessarily interfering, indeed meddling in the reproductive
rights of Australian women," Senator Stott Despoja said.

AAP pj/sjb/bwl

KEYWORD: ABORTION NIGHTLEAD

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