Canberra Liberal member for Brindabella Nicole Lawder has told the Legislative Assembly she feared for her life when she had an abortion in the United States.
She said she was confronted by protesters who jeered, grabbed and pushed her. She said anti-choice protesters were throwing blood at the windows of the clinic.
"On the day of the appointment I drove myself down town and parked my car a few blocks away," she said.
"As I approached the building I found my steps had slowed right down and I was experiencing a lot of fear ... this was not about regretting or changing my mind, not about changing my decision to have an abortion.
"It was because outside the clinic I could see a large crowd, an angry, noisy, ugly crowd of about 100 people; a crowd with placards who were chanting slogans, screaming obscenities, throwing things at the windows of the clinic, including buckets of blood - possibly it was paint, possibly pigs' blood.
"I had to go through this crowd, I was jostled and jeered, grabbed and pushed with people screaming and spitting in my face. Hours later, I had to go out through the same crowd.
"It was a violent atmosphere and I feared for my life and I feared for my personal safety."
It is the first time Ms Lawder has spoken publicly about her experience.
Ms Lawder was living in America at the time. She was married with children when she made the decision to have an abortion after consultation with a gynaecologist.
The member for Brindabella made the comments during a motion put forward by Minister for Women Yvette Berry on abortion rights.
Ms Berry put forward the executive motion in the ACT Legislative Assembly on Thursday morning extending solidarity to the people of America following the recent Supreme Court court decision to overturn a constitutional right to abortion in that country.
Ms Berry's father Wayne Berry, a former ACT deputy chief minister, successfully put forward legislation to decriminalise abortion in the ACT 20 years ago and she reflected on this when she moved the motion.
ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith has also urged her federal counterpart to make abortions free across Australia. She has written to federal Health Minister Mark Butler asking for the Commonwealth to offer free abortion services.
Federal Labor had previously pledged to provide a nationwide free service in 2019 as part of an election commitment but this has not been renewed.
It came after it was announced the territory government will cover out-of-pocket costs for Canberra residents from early next year, with $4.6 million allocated over the next four years towards the initiative.
Ms Stephen-Smith said about 1800 people seek abortion in the ACT each year and it can cost anywhere from $100 to $1000.
"This is a very significant cost barrier for some of the most vulnerable people in our community at a time of very high stress," she said.
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