The Lobby urged Parliament to accept the majority view of the Committee and reject the Bill outright when it is debated next month.

Katy Reade
0418 207 027 or Anthony Schembri
0400 817 299

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PRESS RELEASE - 28 February 2001

Rights to IVF access must not be sacrificed

The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (‘the Lobby’) welcomed the report tabled yesterday by the Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee investigating the impact of the proposed Sex Discrimination Amendment Bill (No.1) 2000, which is designed to prevent lesbians and single women from accessing IVF/ART services.

The Senate Committee failed to reach a consensus on its view of the Bill, with the majority finding the Bill to be defective in its content and contrary to Australia’s international human rights obligations and the spirit of the Federal Sex Discrimination Act.

‘The government’s morally conservative agenda of attempting to deny lesbians and single women the right to access such services has been dealt a severe blow by the Senate Committee. The Senate Committee has recognised that this Bill dangerously threatens Australia’s human rights and women’s rights record. The majority of the Committee has demonstrated that notice was taken of the strong evidence put before it concerning the discriminatory intention and effect of the Bill,’ stated Katy Reade, co-convenor of the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby.’

‘The Lobby and other organisations and agencies, such as the Anti-Discrimination Board and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, presented powerful submissions to the Committee outlining how the proposed amendment to the Federal Sex Discrimination Act would seriously undermine Australia’s standing in terms of treating all its citizens equally,’ stated Anthony Schembri, co-convenor of the Lobby.

‘The message has to be sent to our law-makers that the passing of this Bill would amount to a retrograde step for equal opportunity and anti-discrimination in this country. Prejudice and ignorance should not be allowed to dictate who has access to services that enable women to receive treatment in a safe and supervised manner,’ Reade stated.