Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Bill ADDENDUM

I wish to add a bit to one of my submission's paragraphs (see the post immediately below for the whole thing). I'll put it in bold. I don't know why I didn't think of this before.

  . . . . I would love to see a Tasmania respectful of different viewpoints and committed to properly informing its citizens. If, in order to ensure that women receive “unbiased information from which to make informed choices”, referrals to medical practitioners or counsellors without a conscientious objection to termination are to be made compulsory, the reverse should also occur. So, if a women is attended by a doctor or counsellor favorable to termination, it should equally be a legal requirement that they receive a referral to a doctor/counsellor with a conscientious objection, so that they too may hear and assess the biases of both perspectives. And while I sympathise with the government's desire for a clear ruling in emergency cases, I would like us to continue to be a society that works hard to protect individuals' right to act according to their personal values and beliefs. As such, a doctor who believes that referring to a surgeon who performs terminations would make him an accessory to murder should have those beliefs respected and not be forced to refer on, just as a doctor who believes nothing of the sort should have her beliefs honoured and be free to make the referral.