'Cricket Australia's actions are unacceptable – and proof we are still fighting for reproductive freedom'

OPINION

Having an abortion can be hard enough. The paperwork. The procedures. The pain. 

To be sacked because you believe all women should have safe access to it is an embarrassment not only to an employer, but the country. 

Angela Williamson, 39, is taking Cricket Australia to the Fair Work Commission after she was dismissed from her ‘government relations role’ for taking part in a campaign to give Tasmanian women accessibility to an abortion. As it stands, women in Tasmania have no options for a legal abortion after their only clinic was closed. Not a single option. 

In a petition signed by over 18,000 people (and rapidly rising – see the link below), Williamson introduces herself as a mum with three wonderful kids.

"This year I was one of the first women forced to travel interstate to receive an abortion … alone and scared. I was away from my partner and kids and had to take a week off work, so the trip ended up costing me thousands," she claims. 

Angela Williamson will not be silenced. Not then. Not now.

In March this year, Cricket Australia pushed through its most controversial on-field drama as the Australian team was accused of ball tampering. Bowler Cameron Bancroft was suspended for nine months while star players Steve Smith and David Warner were stripped of their captaincy and vice-captaincy and handed one year bans. 

But it appears off-field is where the true storm brews for Cricket Australia. The organisation is a backward, archaic institution that obviously needs reform on and off the field.

Its pig-headed attitude towards on-field sportsmanship is obviously indicative of the way it treats its own employees. How a sportsperson behaves on the field says a lot about how he behaves off of it. We’ve all seen it: ball hogs, generous players, lip service… cheaters.

Angela Williamson has been through one of the most traumatic experiences of her life and she wants to make sure it changes for the women who come after her. Maybe our very own daughters. That’s a cause worth supporting. Again. And again.

The world is watching - Williamson’s story has hit the UK’s BBC and America’s New York Times. Everyone’s talking cricket. 

Angela Williamson vs Cricket Australia.

Williamson won’t need skills. She’s got the whole country – and the world – playing on her team. 

If you’d like to sign Angela Williamson’s petition, click here.

Follow Alissa Warren on Twitter here.