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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-11-27 Daily Xml
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Health Care (Health Access Zones) (No 2) Amendment Bill

Second Reading

Ms COOK (Hurtle Vale) (11:22): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

I have spoken about a bill moved in my own name, the exact same bill, a couple of months ago. For various reasons, we moved the bill in the upper house, where it was moved by the Hon. Tammy Franks in the other place. It was exactly the same as this bill, which supports a woman's right and choice to be able to access a termination of pregnancy in a way in which she is not faced with protest and obstruction in any way, or with questioning of that decision, as she enters a healthcare clinic or hospital.

It is a woman's right and choice as to what she does with her body. Many women face this heart-wrenching decision, either by themselves or with their partners or family, and none of those people should be subjected to anyone approaching them regarding the termination of pregnancy/abortion. They also should not be subjected to seeing signs, posters or placards depicting images that are intimidating, worrying or upsetting in any way before they go into that centre.

In our country, of course there is the right to protest. There is the right to free speech and we all must respect that, but there is an appropriate place for this to happen. In my view, in the view of healthcare workers and in the view of many people in this place, the place for people to protest, to have their voice heard and to send that message is on the steps of parliament.

People have a right to pray to their God anywhere where it is not upsetting or intimidating other people in any way. I am sorry if people who do that do not understand that it could be intimidating or worrying to people, but this is what people say to me who have experienced this. You have a right to pray, and I would encourage Christian people who want to do this to do it at a place where they are closer to their God, and they can do that in a church. I have no problem with them doing that. In fact, I do not have a problem with people sitting and praying anywhere: in a park, on the side of a road, on a footpath, in a shop, anywhere they choose, but there is no reason to pray out loud in front of people who have made what is likely to be the most difficult decision of their life.

I respect your right to protest, I respect your right to pray and I respect and appreciate your want and desire to support people who are going through traumatic experiences of any kind. I accept, I support and I want to see the generosity of people with good hearts who offer support, counselling and any items of household goods or baby clothes to people who are going through a pregnancy at a time when they cannot afford it.

But that is exactly when: it is when people are going through a pregnancy that they have chosen to continue with because they can provide a family and a loving home for their baby—do that then. There is no reason to have a shop right next to a clinic where people access abortion. There is no reason to do that. Have that shop somewhere else. As part of the work you do, promote that place to the clinic and offer it to the staff so that when the staff are doing the counselling—and the staff do a great job of counselling—they can offer materials that send someone who chooses to continue with a pregnancy to obtain free items.

I am sure that every single one of us in this place supports that benevolent process, that good heartedness, that kindness given by the community. But this bill clearly tells you that you are not to approach or communicate within 150 metres of any clinic where women are accessing the procedure of abortion.

I have spoken with the Minister for Health in the other place and I have read amendments that he is looking at putting forward. He would like to widen the medical procedures to which protests should be precluded to include people who are experiencing surgery for transgender or people who are having vaccinations. There is a whole range of procedures that are contentious for some and just part of life for others. Nobody undertaking any kind of medical clinical procedure and no health worker should be subjected to protests at this healthcare time.

Save your protests for the steps of parliament. We enjoy seeing, hearing and listening to democracy in progress, but do it on the steps of parliament. Trust me, it will be much more effective as there are a lot more people walking past. It is also a lot kinder to the people who are undergoing trauma. As Christian, good people you do not want to cause any more trauma to those people than they are already going through.

This bill enshrines that you are unable to protest within that space and you need to move on. There is also some protection now put in there so that the media is able to report on matters of interest and also on ribbon-cutting events or such investments that a government of the day might make. The other thing that was defined in this was abortion, clearly, but as I said, the Minister for Health in the other place has spoken to me and I have agreed that we might certainly be able to talk about that and the way it is gazetted moving forward.

With that, I am proud to introduce this bill and I would move that the debate be respectful and continued at another time.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mr Pederick.

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