ABC Tasmanian politicians considering changing the state’s abortion laws have been sent foetus dolls and photographs of dead babies by U.S. campaigners. Tasmanian politicians considering possible changes to the state’s abortion laws have been sent foetus dolls and photographs of dead babies by anonymous campaigners.
State Parliament is considering removing abortion from the criminal code and allowing women to terminate their pregnancies at up to 16 weeks on the advice of a doctor.
Murchison Upper House MP Ruth Forrest broadly supports the change.
She has told 7:30 Tasmania her office has been inundated with anti-abortion pamphlets, confronting photographs and foetus dolls sent by anti-abortion campaigners.
“It’s a pretty low act,” she said.
“If you have an opposition to termination there’s a way to express it without using that sort of material.”
The Australian Christian Lobby’s Lyle Shelton has defended the strategy.
“Representations of unborn babies, it’s a legitimate educative tool,” he said.
The Independent member for Huon Paul Harriss agrees.
“Those little plastic or rubbery foetuses that they sent to us, that’s the harsh reality,” Mr Harriss said.
“We are talking about a little living human being. So I can understand people’s concern about abortion. I can appreciate that, and I respect that.”
A parliamentary report on the proposed law change is due to be handed down later this year.
