A former health services commissioner who was among those behind the passage of a controversial abortion law in the State of Victoria is complaining that the law is “being thwarted at the service provision level.” Her concern focuses on women seeking late term abortions – apparently 16 through 24 weeks gestation and beyond. Physicians are reported to be willing to provide late term abortions only for eugenic reasons, but about 70 women annually ask for late term abortions for “psychosocial reasons.” Another factor reducing availability appears to be the need to give priority to devote health care resources to addressing illness and other health problems over “psychosocial” issues. One clinical advisor has suggested that this could be rectified by a regulation requiring that abortion be given legal priority. [The Age]
Category: Australia
New frontiers in repressing dissent
Re: Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Bill (2013)
(State of Tasmania)
Australian bill permits causing patient death, lacks adequate conscience protection
The House of Assembly in the Parliament of South Australia has passed the Advanced Care Directives Bill (2012), which defines medical treatment and health care so as to include nutrition and hydration, and makes it possible for nutrition and hydration to be refused or denied even to patient who isnot dying. The protection of conscience provision in the bill requires objectors to facilitate the withdrawal of food and fluids by providing contact information for someone willing to do so, and to refer the patient to that person if requested. The bill also allows patient directives to override denominational or institutional codes of conduct governing the delivery of health care. [The Australian]
Interest in euthanasia grows in Australia
The Australia Institute has published the results of a survey indicating that about 70% of the respondents agreed that physicians should be able to provide euthansia in cases of “unrelievable and incurable suffering.” Over 50% thought that euthanasia should be available for patients suffering from dementia who had expressed a desire for euthanasia while competent.[Herald Sun]
Voluntary euthanasia bill defeated in South Australia
By a margin of two votes, the South Australia House of Assembly rejected the Voluntary Euthanasia Bill 2012, a private member’s bill. [ABC News] The bill included a protection of conscience provision.