Abortion in Australia: a legal misconception

Petersen, Kerry

doi:10.1071/ah050142

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Much of the existing literature on abortion in Australia focuses on the current state of abortion law (Betts, 2009;de Costa et al, 2007;de Crespigny and Savulescu, 2004;Douglas, 2009;Gleeson, 2009;Pesce, 2006;Petersen, 2005) and the debate between pro-life and pro-choice beliefs (Coleman, 1988;Singer, 1993;Dean and Allanson, 2004;Brown, 2004;Wyatt and Hughes, 2009). The overarching conclusion of the literature is that the variations in abortion law state to state create confusion and uncertainty, and both policy and media representations have been heavily influenced by a pro-life ideology.…”

Section: Language and Labelling In The Media Coverage Of Abortionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cairns abortion trial: Language, deviance, and the ‘spoiled identity’

Evans

O’Brien

2014

Journal of Sociology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In 2009 a couple in Cairns were charged, and later found not guilty, of illegally obtaining a medical abortion through the use of medication imported from overseas. The court case reignited the discussions surrounding the illegality and social acceptance of abortion in Queensland, Australia. Based on a discourse analysis of 150 online news media articles covering the Cairns trial, this article critically examines the language and key words relied upon by media when covering the Cairns trial. It argues that, despite popular support for the decriminalisation of abortion, emotive language that aligns with a pro-life ideology is still being employed which has the power to shape perceptions of deviance and stigma surrounding abortion. This is useful to demonstrate how media discourse surrounding abortion needs to further align with a pro-choice ideology for women to be empowered for their choices.On 20 March 2009, Cairns Police searched the North Queensland property of 19-yearold Tegan Simone Leach and her partner, 21-year-old Sergie Brennan. As part of an ongoing murder investigation, police were routinely searching houses in the area for witnesses or informants (Betts, 2009: 25). During the search, police found empty blister packets and instructions written in Ukrainian. The blister packets were of Mifepristone

show abstract

Section: Language and Labelling In The Media Coverage Of Abortionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cairns abortion trial: Language, deviance, and the ‘spoiled identity’

Evans

O’Brien

2014

Journal of Sociology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The deeply held beliefs on all sides of the debate about health services for women with unplanned pregnancies make it one of the most volatile and unpredictable of health policy issues. The uneasy political compromise that holds in Australia and New Zealand is one which allows women access to abortion on the basis of the common law or statute, but retains a criminal offense of abortion [ 1 , 2 ]. This arrangement is periodically challenged by those who believe that termination of pregnancy should never be allowed, or allowed only in the narrowest of circumstances.…”

Section: The Policy Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unwanted pregnancy, mental health and abortion: untangling the evidence

Dwyer

Jackson

2008

Aust N Z Health Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abortion policy is still contentious in many parts of the world, and periodically it emerges to dominate health policy debates. This paper examines one such debate in Australia centering on research findings by a New Zealand research group, Fergusson, Horwood & Ridder, published in early 2006. The debate highlighted the difficulty for researchers when their work is released in a heightened political context. We argue that the authors made a logical error in constructing their analysis and interpreting their data, and are therefore not justified in making policy claims for their work. The paper received significant public attention, and may have influenced the public policy position of a major professional body. Deeply held views on all sides of the abortion debate are unlikely to be reconciled, but if policy is to be informed by research, findings must be based on sound science. The policy questionsThe deeply held beliefs on all sides of the debate about health services for women with unplanned pregnancies make it one of the most volatile and unpredictable of health policy issues. The uneasy political compromise that holds in Australia and New Zealand is one which allows women access to abortion on the basis of the common law or statute, but retains a criminal offense of abortion [1,2]. This arrangement is periodically challenged by those who believe that termination of pregnancy should never be allowed, or allowed only in the narrowest of circumstances.The policy logic of the prohibitionist view is that women and their health care providers should be prevented from having or providing abortions, by means of criminal sanctions, because abortion is morally repugnant. However, strong majorities in Australia [3] and New Zealand take the view that women should have access to safe abortion services. It is clear from the research on public opinion that people differentiate between the moral and public policy questions. The majority view on the public policy question (in support of safe service provision) is held by people who hold varying personal positions on the morality of abortion, as modelled (See Figure 1).The logic of the majority view in support of provision of abortion services is based on two main foundations. The first is that women as persons have the moral capacity (and in democracies the right as citizens) to make decisions about their reproductive lives, including their pregnancies. The second is the 'harm minimisation' position that the health and equity impacts of prohibitionist policies are unacceptable.

show abstract

Intimacies on Settlement

Muchoki¹

2016

Intimacies, Citizenship and Refugee Men

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abortion in Australia: a legal misconception

Cited by 3 publications

References 3 publications

The Cairns abortion trial: Language, deviance, and the ‘spoiled identity’

The Cairns abortion trial: Language, deviance, and the ‘spoiled identity’

Unwanted pregnancy, mental health and abortion: untangling the evidence

Intimacies on Settlement

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About