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Female Complaints and Certain Events: Silencing Abortion Discourse

Parker, Clare (2013) Female Complaints and Certain Events: Silencing Abortion Discourse. Lilith, 19 . pp. 33-47. ISSN 0813-8990. (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:56107)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.

Abstract

Prior to the liberalisation of abortion laws in Britain and parts of Australia from the late 1960s, public discussion about the 'illegal operation' was highly restricted, and, when it did occur, was overwhelmingly negative. However, public abortion discourses were not only restricted by an informal moral code, but also by legislative measures aimed at preventing the publication of 'indecent' material. In South Australia, as in other jurisdictions, laws were passed that targeted each of the two main sites of publicity about abortions in the daily press: advertisements, and reports of court cases arising from unlawful procedures. This article traces the evolution of language and portrayals of abortion and aborting women in advertisements and court reports in South Australia to the 1930s, showing that the laws against their publication were as ineffective and untenable as those against the procurement of abortion.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled keywords: Pregnant women Health and hygiene; Abortion Law and legislation; Abortion services law and legislation; Women physicians Employment Social aspects;
Subjects: K Law
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > Kent Law School
Depositing User: Sarah Slowe
Date Deposited: 23 Jun 2016 04:19 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:23 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/56107 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Parker, Clare.

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