About this Event
In 2026, across three separate Australian states—Queensland, NSW, and SA— and federally, legislation and parliamentary actions were proposed that aimed to restrict abortion rights and access. During the lead-up to these actions, and following, there has been a concerted effort to spread anti-abortion misinformation and messaging across Australia, particularly through social media.
The coalition of anti-abortion movements and far-right political parties across Australia seek to undermine abortion rights through a barrage of unsupported and inaccurate claims, misinformation, and fear-mongering. At the same time, these campaigns also seek to undermine broader bodily and sexual autonomy, forming part of far-right global movements that advance anti-feminist, anti-LGBTQIA+, anti-Indigenous, and anti-migration agendas.
Our panel of experts will discuss the rise of anti-abortion, anti-body autonomy movements, and what can be done to address them.
About the panellists:
- Emeritus Professor Barbara Baird AM, Australia’s leading historian of abortion and co-convenor of the South Australian Abortion Action Coalition
- Leah Ward, The Abortion Project
- Carolyn Mogharbel, Manager, 1800MyOptions
- Adele Murdolo, Chief Executive Officer, Multicultural Centre for Women's Health
The discussion will be chaired by Prof Louise Keogh, Chair of the Hallmark Research Initiative in Reproductive Justice at the University of Melbourne.
Panel members will receive discussion questions in advance, and there will be no live audience Q&A.
Light refreshments will be served after the event.
Agenda
🕑: 05:30 PM - 05:45 PM
Doors open and registration
🕑: 05:45 PM - 07:00 PM
Panel discussion
🕑: 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Light refreshments
Event venue & nearby stays
The University of Melbourne, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
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