Attempts to reopen abortion access rights in Australia show how women’s rights are made negotiable through language, media framing and political theatre – and why independent journalism matters in resisting that backlash.

There is a chill that runs through women when rights we thought were settled are dragged back into public debate. It is not only fear. It is recognition. We have been here.

We know what it sounds like when women’s autonomy is reframed as a moral problem. We know the careful language of politicians who insist they are only asking questions, only seeking balance. We know how quickly a conversation can move from healthcare to morality, from bodily autonomy to public spectacle.

In recent weeks, abortion has been pulled back into the political arena in Australia. In Queensland, there was an attempt to challenge access to abortion medication. In South Australia, another attempt was made to restrict abortion access after 25 weeks. In New South Wales, changes framed around sex selection have reopened the question of abortion access.

This is how it happens. Not always with a ban. Sometimes it begins with a technical change, a procedural motion, a conscience vote, or a claim that this is only about one rare circumstance. And suddenly the right itself is up for discussion again.

That is the point. The purpose is not always to win immediately. Sometimes it is to make the unthinkable thinkable again. To exhaust the people who will have to........

© Pearls and Irritations