The Wom*n’s Collective has staged a snap protest against an event held by the Catholic Society titled “Abortion: The Exploitation of Women”. The talk was presented by Rebecca Gosper, director of LifeChoice Australia.
Protesters gathered in front of the Catholic Society Stall on Eastern Avenue at 1pm, chanting “Get your rosaries off our ovaries” and handing out free condoms. Speakers discussed the necessity of decriminalising abortion in NSW.
The talk was organised to take place during the Catholic Society’s “Life Week”, an annual anti-abortion, pro-life event.
One anonymous protester told Honi that they believe Life Week is “an outlet to demonise and antagonise” the rights to bodily autonomy.
This condemnation of pro-lifers follows prior controversy surrounding the right to abortion, after the Wom*n’s Collective launched a similar protest against the LifeChoice stall at O-Week this year.
Wom*n’s Officer Jessica Syed notes the importance of the protest, stating:
“Our collective is and will continue to be pro-choice. Community values in New South Wales have shifted since abortion was legally enshrined as a criminal offence in this state. We believe that individuals must have autonomy over their own bodies and that any regression from this idea, when coupled with religious beliefs, is a step in the direction of theocracy.
“It is important for us that students who have chosen to have an abortion are visibly supported on campus, and that the dangerous, scientifically unsound opinions of groups such as Life Choices are countered, particularly when they are being expressed in a space as public and as prominent as Eastern Avenue.”
A previous version of this article misidentified Rebecca Gosper’s position in LifeChoice and has been updated.