I'm what you might call a feminist outsider. It sounds cool when I put it that way, like I'm some sort of rebel.
I'm a passionate believer in the rights of women. I believe every girl should have the opportunity to be educated, and that workplaces need to become more accommodating of families. I spend a worrying amount of time shouting 'You wouldn't say that if she were a man!' to political commentators on the radio.
I'd like to be called a feminist. But I don't think I'm allowed to be. You see, I also believe a baby is a person before she is born. And I believe that person has rights.
It's okay. I'm used to not fitting in. At high school, I was all too eager to raise my hand in class, and this made it difficult to make friends. I spent lunchtimes in the school library. The stony refrain 'You can't sit with us' still echoes in my ears, 20 years later.
I'll admit, it's an uncomfortable belief to hold. I'm aware that there are many women who have undergone abortions, for whom discussion of the issue would bring additional pain. And many feminist commentators have made it clear that opposition to abortion is unforgivable.
Recently, Tanya Davies, the NSW Minister for Women, came under fire for stating that she was 'personally pro-life', but that 'in my role I am there to support all women and I will support all women, and I will listen to all women ... and ensure the best outcome for all women is secured'. Commentators were indignant. How dare the minister have a personal opinion (one different to theirs)?
Last year, Victorian upper house MP Dr Rachel Carling-Jenkins introduced a bill to effectively prevent late-term abortions. The Infant Viability Bill proposed that after 24 weeks of gestation (when a foetus is viable outside of the womb) abortions should no longer be performed except in cases of medical emergency.
A mother who sought a late-term abortion would not be criminalised; rather, the doctor would be required to refer her for support according to her needs (medical, financial, psychological, residential etc.). The baby, when born, would be provided with medical care or palliative care as needed.
"Early feminists and leaders of the women's suffrage movement saw abortion as a tool of oppression, which freed men from the burden of accountability. Alice Paul deemed abortion the 'ultimate exploitation of women'."
It was a remarkable bill,