The passage of the Safe Access to Reproductive Health Clinics bill is a huge step forward for women in this state. It will mean that women seeking reproductive medical services, including abortion, will be able to do so with dignity, free from harassment.
I want to thank the many inner west residents who contacted me about the need for safe access to reproductive health clinics.
I'm a feminist. I have and will always fight for a woman’s right to access health-care without intimidation, and with dignity and respect.
The footpaths outside reproductive clinics are not the place for politics. Too often we have seen vulnerable women - and men - subject to outrageous intimidation and even violence.
Women accessing reproductive health services - whether it is for an abortion or for any other form of health-care - deserve privacy and support. They deserve to be afforded basic human dignity.
I am proud NSW Labor supports this Bill and congratulate the many women and activists who have fought so hard to make it a reality. I also congratulate Penny Sharpe MLC and Trevor Kahn for having the courage to work together and ensure that this is now law.