Abstract
In 1973, the Northern Territory (NT) criminal law relating to abortion was reformed. The NT was one of only two Australian jurisdictions where the 1970s liberalisation of abortion was enabled by legislative reform. Unlike the 1969 South Australian reform, the NT bill was sponsored by a female, and feminist, parliamentarian, Dawn Lawrie, assisted by a small group of supporters. This article recovers the narrative of this pioneering reform achieved in a place dominated by white men. It argues that this achievement was enabled by the NT’s individualistic culture, its history of white women’s activism and the mood for progressive change in 1970s Australia. It contextualises the reform by keeping the position of Indigenous women, including the public opposition of some to abortion reform, clearly in view, thus keeping race at the centre of the analysis of liberal feminist reforms and of white feminism in the NT in the early 1970s.
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 139-158 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Women's History Review |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 24 Apr 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2 Jan 2019 |
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Feminism on the frontier : the history of abortion law reform in 1973 in the Northern Territory, Australia. / Baird, Barbara; Belton, Suzanne.
In: Women's History Review, Vol. 28, No. 1, 02.01.2019, p. 139-158.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Feminism on the frontier
T2 - Women's History Review
AU - Baird, Barbara
AU - Belton, Suzanne
PY - 2019/1/2
Y1 - 2019/1/2
N2 - In 1973, the Northern Territory (NT) criminal law relating to abortion was reformed. The NT was one of only two Australian jurisdictions where the 1970s liberalisation of abortion was enabled by legislative reform. Unlike the 1969 South Australian reform, the NT bill was sponsored by a female, and feminist, parliamentarian, Dawn Lawrie, assisted by a small group of supporters. This article recovers the narrative of this pioneering reform achieved in a place dominated by white men. It argues that this achievement was enabled by the NT’s individualistic culture, its history of white women’s activism and the mood for progressive change in 1970s Australia. It contextualises the reform by keeping the position of Indigenous women, including the public opposition of some to abortion reform, clearly in view, thus keeping race at the centre of the analysis of liberal feminist reforms and of white feminism in the NT in the early 1970s.
AB - In 1973, the Northern Territory (NT) criminal law relating to abortion was reformed. The NT was one of only two Australian jurisdictions where the 1970s liberalisation of abortion was enabled by legislative reform. Unlike the 1969 South Australian reform, the NT bill was sponsored by a female, and feminist, parliamentarian, Dawn Lawrie, assisted by a small group of supporters. This article recovers the narrative of this pioneering reform achieved in a place dominated by white men. It argues that this achievement was enabled by the NT’s individualistic culture, its history of white women’s activism and the mood for progressive change in 1970s Australia. It contextualises the reform by keeping the position of Indigenous women, including the public opposition of some to abortion reform, clearly in view, thus keeping race at the centre of the analysis of liberal feminist reforms and of white feminism in the NT in the early 1970s.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85046007482&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/09612025.2018.1464481
DO - 10.1080/09612025.2018.1464481
M3 - Article
VL - 28
SP - 139
EP - 158
JO - Women's History Review
JF - Women's History Review
SN - 0961-2025
IS - 1
ER -