2015-11-09
The Senate has narrowly defeated a Turnbull Government motion opposing Greens' state and territory legislation for exclusion zones outside abortion clinics to stop anti-choice protesters intimidating women.
"It's alarming that the Senate was only just able to defeat this appalling motion from the Turnbull Government," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens spokesperson for women, said.
"Senator Canavan, who put forward the motion, has tried to pass this off as a freedom of speech issue but this is an issue of safe, accessible healthcare and women's rights.
"Anyone who disagrees with abortion can voice their beliefs but they should not be able to intimidate women outside abortion clinics.
"Women must be able to exercise their legal right to medical privacy and their human right to make decisions about their own bodies without being harassed.
"I'm so proud of my Greens colleagues in state and territory parliaments for standing up for women to access abortions safely without harassment from anti-choice protestors.
"It's deeply disturbing that the Turnbull Government is using freedom of speech as a premise to attack women's rights to access abortion clinics without intimidation and harassment," Senator Waters said.