Before the High Court: Abortion Protests and the Limits of Freedom of Political Communication: Clubb v Edwards; Preston v Avery
(2018) 40(3) Sydney Law Review 397- 409
16 Pages Posted: 11 Dec 2018
Date Written: December 11, 2018
Abstract
Two cases currently before the High Court of Australia — Clubb v Edwards and Preston v Avery — raise the validity of state laws that seek to prohibit certain communication and protest outside abortion clinics. The laws are justified on the basis that they protect the ‘safety’, ‘dignity’, ‘well-being’ and ‘privacy’ of those seeking abortion services. The cases therefore pose the question of how these values are accommodated within the Australian system of representative and responsible government.
Keywords: Constitutional law, freedom of speech, abortion
JEL Classification: K00, K39
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation