Empowering Women From Muder & Misogyny to High Court

How the murder of one man changed the future of women’s rights in Australia. Empowering Women is the uplifting behind-the-scenes story of how the murder of a man catalyzed one abortion-providing clinic’s fight to protect women from religious extremists. An army of women responded and forced Parliament to enact a women-centred law that ultimately saw a 2019 landmark High Court decision enshrine Australian women’s entitlement to reproductive autonomy and respect. Empowering Women gives you a front row seat in the courtroom and takes you behind closed doors into the personal, legal and political twists and turns of this long campaign. Interwoven with Susie Allanson’s personal narrative are insights from key protagonists, primary source material, and crucial lessons for anyone wanting to change the law or redesign the world for the better.

Lizzie O’Shea is a lawyer and writer. Her commentary is featured regularly on television programs and radio, usually about law, technology, or human rights. Lizzie represented the Fertility Control Clinic in the Supreme Court case to stop the harassment of staff and patients by anti-abortion fanatics. She is the author of Future Histories (2019). Dr Susie Allanson was a clinical psychologist for more than 35 years. Twenty-six of those years were at the Fertility Control Clinic, including when the clinic’s security guard was murdered. Susie led the clinic’s campaign for safe access to abortion. She is the author of Murder on His Mind.