AUSTRALIAN BILL SEEKS TO BAN COERCING WOMEN INTO ABORTION

CANBERRA, June 5, 2002 (LSN.ca) – Under legislation proposed in Australia today, husbands, boyfriends, parents or anyone else who coerced a woman into abortion would face up to 10 years in jail.  The bill also seeks to ensure that women who seek abortion receive independent counselling.  She said, “I and others consider that people who have a financial interest are not sufficiently dispassionate about advising women of their options.”  The bill would also remove the potential 10-year jail penalty faced by women who have abortions and replace it with a token one-month prison term.  However, it retains the 10-year penalty for doctors who performed abortions.  See the Canberra Times coverage:  https://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&story_id=153876&category=General+News&m=6&y=2002