MU Student Union Online

The Queer Department was contacted by Debbie Brenan from the Centre for Women’s Reproductive Rights, who asked the Department to endorse the upcoming abortion rights rally on August 22nd. Their demands/aims are as follows:

Support the Queensland campaign to drop the charges against the young Cairns woman and her partner for terminating her pregnancy.
Decriminalize abortion in Queensland.
Prevent the decriminalization of abortion from being overturned. Although abortion has already been decriminalized here in Victoria, the Catholic church is preparing to challenge the laws, and the abortion clinics in East Melbourne and Carlton are regularly harassed. The Recent “Tour” of VIC and NSW by anti-abortion forces is a sign of battles ahead.

The Queer Department’s endorsement is as follows:

The UMSU Queer Department recognises that the struggle against patriarchy and queer oppression are not separate and, therefore, the Department is committed to opposing patriarchy and misogyny in all forms, including but not limited to that which manifests in the continued denial and contest of womyn’s autonomy over their own bodies and reproductive choices.
The UMSU Queer Department endorses the rally organized by the Centre for Women’s Reproductive Rights on 22 August in their effort to decriminalize abortion in Queensland, drop the charges against the young Cairns woman and her partner for terminating her pregnancy, and to ensure that the decriminalization of abortion in Victoria is not overturned.
Moved: Ezekiel Gould
Seconded: Eden Smith

Attend the pre-rally meeting to listen, talk, organise, and plan for the rally.