More old news

I have been listening to Hack episodes from 3 weeks ago, and so just heard about the woman and her boyfriend who have been charged with procuring a miscarriage (and supporting a person who is ....). WTF?

In case anyone was wondering why abortion needs to be legalised, as opposed to its current, "illegal but you can make a defense" status, this is it.

Essentially, for reasons undisclosed (and irrelevant, really), the woman in question used a drug to induce her own abortion. She used a drug routinely used in abortion all over the world. However, Queensland law only allows for surgical abortion, any termination using medication is on shaky legal grounds. Caroline De Costa, a Queensland obstetrician has been campaigning on this point for some time, and hasn't managed to raise any formal response from politicians or the state's Attorney General.

I can't help thinking that the Powers That Be think that De Costa has been nitpicking - that the law is fine. Yes, it might only specify surgery, but no-one would suggest it didn't cover medical abortion. Only some bright spark in Cairns has suggested it. I think this because I never assume malice when stupidity will do.

So if you are wondering why the law needs to be changed from what seems to have been working for so long, consider this couple who are the first to be charged with this offense in 50 years. If you keep a law that allows you to shoot Scotsmen with a bow and arrow between 6pm and 6am, one day, someone will shoot one.