A bill to legalize abortion is before the Tasmanian Legislative Council. It proposes severe penalties on physicians and counsellors who are unwilling to facilitate the procedure by referral. The Tasmanian chapter of the Australian Medical Association is opposed to the provision, and the state regulator, in supporting it, misrepresented the physicians’ ethical obligations. MLC Paul Harriss, though generally supportive of the bill, has described its treatment of conscientious objection as “heavy handed.” Another MLC, Tony Mulder, also appears to have some concerns regarding conscientious objection. [The Examiner]
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