IN many ways, the Legislative Council has enjoyed a strong 12 months where its relevance as a house of review has been restored.
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The Tasmanian Forestry Agreement was probably its finest hour where it was forced to totally rearrange a hopelessly undercooked document and include some robust durability clauses.
However, one can only wonder why a significant number of Legislative Councillors are delaying the passing of the Reproductive Health Bill that decriminalises abortion for Tasmanian women.
This private member's bill was bravely tabled by Health Minister Michelle O'Byrne and passed the House of Assembly by just one vote.
Will Hodgman and the Liberals ingloriously failed to support the legislation, presumably as a political wedge, despite being on record as supporting pro-choice and decriminalisation.
Ms O'Byrne was probably surprised at the level of confusion and misinformation in the community, and this is being further fanned by the Legislative Council's decision to push it out to a further committee.
Murchison MLC Ruth Forrest summed up the situation perfectly: "The legislation is not intended to reopen the debate on whether women should be able to access an abortion."
In 2001, the Tasmanian Parliament, with the support of all three parties, changed the Criminal Code.
This legislation is to decriminalise abortion in Tasmania and prevent Tasmanian women from having to travel interstate for a termination.
We could all debate for hours about the rights and wrongs of abortion, and it is perfectly legitimate for any person to hold a strong personal view.
However, that debate has already been held in Tasmania and the rights of women to decide the fate of their bodies and lives is enshrined in law.
Attorney-General Brian Wightman was one of the critical swinging voters in the lower house, and his words should be closely considered by conservative MLCs locked in another century.
"It is not for any government to dictate to women how and in which circumstances they should lose control over their own bodies," he said.
"If we live in an equal society, then women should legally be in control and have the right to decide their reproductive rights."
It remains a mystery why some people think they have the right to force a woman to go through an unwanted pregnancy and raise an unwanted child without, in many cases, the support of the father.
The focus on late-term abortions is also misleading and ignores the facts.
To have MLCs spruiking concerns about women requesting abortions at 38 weeks for "economic reasons" is bizarre.
Late-term abortions (post-24 weeks) are extremely rare at 0.7 per cent of all terminations and these are almost always medical emergencies to save the mother because of a severe foetal abnormality.
The rights of women to legal abortions is law. By delaying its decriminalisation, the Legislative Council is treating Tasmanian women as second-class citizens.