NSW Minister for Women votes against abortion clinic ‘safe access zones’

LAST night, a historic bill to ban protesters from harassing women outside abortion clinics passed the New South Wales Parliament in a landslide.

It’s a massive victory for women — and men who care about women.

Because it means from now on, women and their partners will be free to enter a clinic or hospital without being accused of murder.

They will no longer be forced to see activists holding up placards with graphic images of dead babies.

And they’ll be spared from hysterical slogans making wild claims that abortion causes cancer, or suicide, or infertility, or any of the other ridiculous, unproven “facts” pro-lifers regularly spout.

The bill passed easily without amendment, with 61 in favour and just 18 against.

But among the handful of names who spoke out and voted against the introduction of 150-metre “safe access zones”, two clearly stuck out: Minister for Women Tanya Davies, and Minister for Family and Community Services and former sex discrimination minister, Pru Goward.

Let me repeat that.

Two women, whose job it is — and was — to advocate for women and act in their best interests, actively tried to ensure NSW women continued to be bullied and hounded for seeking a medical procedure.

It’s an act of betrayal so shocking it’s almost laughable.

Obviously, I disagree — strongly — with every single individual who opposed the bill.

But in Ms Goward and Ms Davies’ case, it’s not just an indication of dodgy morals — it’s a clear conflict of interest.

In fact, Ms Davies’ actions have sparked so much outrage that many are saying her position is now untenable, and that she should be forced to resign. Immediately.

eddie wrote:

I think you should be able to demonstrate peacefully wherever you like.

eddie wrote:I think you should be able to demonstrate peacefully wherever you like.

The bill passed easily without amendment, with 61 in favour and just 18 against

eddie wrote:I think you should be able to demonstrate peacefully wherever you like.

The New York Times wrote:At least 11 people have been killed in attacks on abortion clinics in the United States since 1993, including the Colorado attack. The most recent victims were Garrett Swasey, a police officer at the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs and a part-time church pastor; Ke’Arre M. Stewart, a former Army specialist who served in Iraq; and Jennifer Markovsky, a woman from Hawaii who was at the clinic with a friend.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/29/us/30abortion-clinic-violence.html