NGOs oppose ACDP's anti-abortion Bill

The Treatment Action Campaign and Section 27 say they are opposing a new Bill by the ACDP that insists women who want an abortion must have ultrasounds first. According to a TimesLIVE report, the Bill was written by MP Cherrylyn Dudley‚ under advice from conservative group Doctors for Life. The Bill wants the law to change so that women may no longer qualify for an abortion after 12 weeks‚ if their social and economic circumstances mean they cannot have the child. It also wants counselling of women wanting an abortion to be mandatory rather than voluntary. The counselling could include making the woman look at pictures or photos of foetuses. The Treatment Action Campaign and Section 27 say forcing a woman to look at photographs of babies or foetuses would ‘introduce fear and shame into the counselling process’. They also say the lack of ultrasounds in clinics across the country would mean abortions couldn’t take place, limiting their access for women. The period for comment on the Bill closed last week. The Bill will be modified and introduced into a parliamentary Private Members Committee for debate in which more comments can take place, the report states.