The latest amendments to the Justice and Related Legislation (Marriage Amendments) Bill circulated by Ruth Forrest on Tuesday are in danger of turning the professed good intentions of some Upper House members into a political three-ring circus.
‘We now have further amendments from Ms Forrest, desperately trying to paper over some of the many cracks in the Bill exposed by the Solicitor-General’, said Bronwyn Williams.
‘In particular, Ms Forrest has attempted to remedy a situation where pregnant persons who have a registered gender other than female, may not be able to legally access a termination of their pregnancy’.
But, how can we be sure she’s got it right?
‘This ham-fisted attempt to cobble together legislation ‘on the run’ will clearly result in a law that has significant implications for many Tasmanians’.
‘Proponents of the amended Bill have persistently argued that it will benefit transgender persons but have absolutely no impact on anyone else. Independent MLC, Kerry Finch, said, in his second reading speech last Thursday that many arguments against the amended Bill are “furphies, red herrings at the very least”.’
‘Is a pregnant person unable to obtain a safe, legal termination in Tasmania, a person not worthy of consideration in the rush to pass this Bill’, said Miss Williams.
‘It’s way past time the four Labor members of the Upper House – Craig Farrell, Josh Willie, Sarah Lovell and Jo Seijka – and the four independents uncritically supporting the amended Bill – Ruth Forrest, Rob Valentine, Mike Gaffney and Kerry Finch – took a step back and asked someone who knows what they’re talking about to explain it to them, preferably before they vote’.
-ENDS-