Emily Mayo, who underwent a termination in 2005, starts #ArrestUs campaign on Facebook and Twitter

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Scores of women who have had abortions have come out on social media urging authorities to arrest them, ahead of the New South Wales state parliament considering a decriminalisation bill this week.

NSW is the only Australian state or territory that has neglected to modernise abortion laws.

Emily Mayo, who underwent a termination in 2005, started the #ArrestUs campaign on Facebook and Twitter on Monday afternoon.

Mayo said she was inspired by reading about 80 women in the 1970s who took out a advertisement in a national newspaper to campaign for legalising abortion.

NSW abortion law reform: Uniting Church breaks religious ranks to back decriminalisation Read more

“The women who took out the advert in the 1970s did it because they could. They had the privilege to be able to speak up and they believed they had a responsibility to do so,” Mayo’s post on Facebook read.

“And so it is time again, for those of us who can stand up and speak out to do so. One last time.”

Last week a private member’s bill co-sponsored by 15 MPs from across the political divide was introduced to state parliament. It is expected to be debated as soon as Tuesday when parliament sits.

It would remove abortion from the state’s criminal code and create a standalone healthcare act to regulate the procedure.

Mayo said 56 women and counting had put their names to the campaign so far. The list included women who had abortions as recently as six weeks ago to several decades ago.

She was initially worried about the reaction of her campaign but said it had been taken with absolute positivity.

“I was really fearful today, and every time I thought, ‘oh my gosh, oh my gosh’ I thought this is exactly why we’re doing it,” Mayo told the Guardian.

She realised at the last minute she’d forgotten to tell her mother.

“It was a wonderful conversation. She was a bit sad that I hadn’t gone to her for support, but when I was in my early 20s I didn’t feel like I could. So we reflected on that. It was a powerful thing to do,” Mayo said.

Another signatory, Summer Finlay from Wollongong, said she also had to scramble to tell her mum before making her 2002 abortion public knowledge.

“Abortion is very much a personal issue and a health issue and women have a variety of different reasons why they may want to terminate. It’s important women have that choice,” Finlay said.

Finlay had only been dating a man for a couple of months when she fell pregnant at age 21.

“They’re not easy decisions to make,” Finlay said.

She reflected that in some parts of regional NSW it can be difficult to obtain terminations and the illegal status added to stigma and taboo around the issue.

“This is about keeping women safe,” Finlay said.

Great Bourgeois Monster (@Jomegsallan) Proud to have signed my name and stand with these brave people today. And honoured to follow in the path of Wendy McCarthy, and the 80 women who stood up in the early 1970s, declaring their abortion and saying #ArrestUs https://t.co/7rdtD7DGGi

Alison Whittaker (@AJ_Whittaker) 2011. Didn't have anyone to take me home so had to take the mifepristone option, which cost $450. I had $150 left for the rest of the year. Make it legal. Make it free. #ArrestUs

The campaign comes as the Uniting church has thrown its support behind decriminalisation.

In an open letter to MPs, the Uniting church reverend Simon Hansford argued abortion was a health and social issue and should not be a criminal issue.

“Respect for the sacredness of life means advocating for the needs of women as well as every unborn child,” Hansford said.

“Whilst we encourage our ministers to remind people of the sacredness of life, the church’s role should be to offer care and support leading up to and following a decision, not stand in judgment.”

The former National party leader Barnaby Joyce has launched an online petition against the bill, which has almost 8,000 signatures.

His petition calls for a parliamentary inquiry into the issue and warns against rushing the legislative process.

“The most vulnerable people in our society are the children that are unborn,” Joyce wrote in the post.

“Every life is a miracle. Every life is miraculous.”