Anti-abortion activists have been handing out plastic doll foetuses to women entering a rural clinic in Albury, New South Wales, in an attempt to dissuade them from accessing abortion services. The tactic, described as 'shameful' by pro-choice campaigners, has been ongoing for several years but has become more overt in recent weeks.
About a dozen protesters gather outside the Fertility Control Clinic every Thursday, displaying the dolls in a woven basket. The dolls feature detailed toes, toenails, fingers, ears and rib cages, though pro-choice campaigner Liz Marmo believes they are not anatomically correct. 'They're just trying to shock the women,' Ms Marmo told Daily Mail Australia. 'They're trying to shame the women.'
The protesters also display 'disgusting' A-frames with 'distorted' images of foetuses along the footpath. One activist has been observed splashing 'holy water' outside the clinic at 1.10pm every Thursday. Ms Marmo, who has monitored the picketers for over three years, said they often take car spaces directly outside the clinic to force women to walk past them.
Women entering the clinic frequently face attempts to make eye contact and receive pamphlets, despite repeated refusals. 'Last Thursday I heard a woman say "f*** off". But [the picketers] will still try to give them a pamphlet,' Ms Marmo said. The clinic has employed security guards to intervene when necessary.
New South Wales and Queensland remain the only states that have not followed Victoria's lead in enforcing exclusion zones around abortion clinics. A bill to decriminalise abortion and introduce buffer zones was introduced to state parliament last month by the party spokesperson for the status of women.
