WOMEN shouldn't be made to feel like a criminal for terminating their pregnancy, Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Currently abortions in NSW are dealt with under the Crimes Act 1900, but a bill expected to be put to parliament this week could change everything.
The bill states that a woman does not commit an offence if she procures a termination within the framework provided in the legislation and would amend the offences listed under act.
It would allow for terminations on request for women up to 22 weeks of pregnancy.
The Reproductive Healthcare Reform Bill 2019, a private members bill, will be introduced by independent MP for Sydney, Alex Greenwich and it already has the backing of NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard.
Mr Saunders said NSW was the only state in Australia that was yet to decriminalise laws surrounding abortion and that the current legislation dated back to 1900.
Woman shouldn't be made to feel like a criminal for terminating a pregnancy.
- Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders
"I believe it is important that a government and its legislation reflects modern society, and I think in 2019 the community sentiment is that a woman shouldn't be made to feel like a criminal for terminating a pregnancy," he said.
"From a personal perspective, this bill is not about encouraging abortion, rather it is about supporting women who, for any one of a number of reasons, may choose to make that decision."
Bathurst MP Paul Toole did not respond to Australian Community Media's (ACM) request for a comment, while Orange MP Phil Donato wanted to read the Bill before commenting.
READ ALSO: How your sleep patterns impact your life
Mr Hazzard said on Sunday that women should have the "absolute clarity of black and white legislation" around the issue as they do in some other states and territories.
While, Catholic Diocese of Bathurst Bishop Michael McKenna was unavailable to speak about the Bill on Monday, his media adviser referred ACM to his comments on the issue from October, 2018.
At the time he said every civilised society should have laws prohibiting the killing of innocent people.
"It is simply a legal fiction to state that we become human only after we leave our mother's womb. The rights of unborn children, including those with disabilities, should be protected," he said.
"The question of abortion is more complicated than other questions of life and death because two lives are involved."
Mr McKenna said his view was that only the practitioners, and not the mother, should be subject to criminal penalties.
"Mothers are vulnerable at this time and sometimes subject to pressures from others to act against their own best instincts," he said.
Love local news?
Why not subscribe.