Social Justice Bermuda has welcomed the Progressive Labour Party’s platform promise to remove abortion from the criminal code but insisted that more needed to be done on the issue.

The activist group provided a response to several parts of the manifesto that are relevant to its own platform — including women’s rights and protections, pay equity and legal reform.

The group said that as well as simplifying the process of obtaining an abortion, there should also be expanded insurance to cover the procedure, timely access and inclusion of the matter in discussions around universal healthcare.

Dropping the termination of pregnancy from the island’s criminal code is included in the PLP platform along with requirements for a medical committee’s approval for them.

A spokeswoman for SJB said: “Reproductive justice is social justice.

“SJB welcomes the PLP’s commitment to removing abortion from the criminal code and modernising legislation. But legislation alone is not enough — we must ensure that abortion access is truly equitable.

“This means expanding insurance coverage to ensure affordable abortion services for all women, regardless of economic class; ensuring timely access to abortion care without unnecessary delays or bureaucratic barriers; and including abortion access in universal healthcare discussions.”

She added: “Reproductive healthcare must not be a privilege.”

Highlighting the recent observance of International Women’s Day, the spokeswoman also called for pay equity and salary transparency, and an end to gender-based violence.

She said: “Gender-based violence continues to plague Bermuda. While we commend the police for improving their handling of domestic violence cases, more must be done.”

She said that law enforcement must undergo “sustained, trauma-informed training” to ensure cases are treated with sensitivity and urgency.

Stronger legal protections are also required for survivors, she said, including expedited protection orders with simplified legal processes, specialist domestic violence courts and stronger penalties for offenders.

“It is important to note that gender-based violence includes physical, verbal, written and emotional violence, including sexual harassment and bullying within organisations,” she said.

“Workplace and institutional cultures must be held accountable for tolerating abuse, and clear, enforceable policies must be put in place to protect victims and prevent harm.

“Gender-based violence is not just a women’s issue — it is a societal failure. It’s time to treat it like the crisis it is.”

Under the heading of legal reform, the PLP platform speaks to the creation of a domestic violence court and removing financial barriers associated with obtaining related orders.

It seeks to reinvigorating the Legal Reform Commission to “drive the necessary changes to the civil and criminal justice systems”.

SJB also responded to parts of the platform that speak to pay equity.

The PLP platform encourages companies to commit to policies for “greater pay equity between Bermudians and expatriates”.

SJB advocates for salary transparency laws requiring employers to publish pay bands for advertised roles.

The group also calls for public audits on gender and racial pay disparities, and penalties for companies that fail to address unjustified pay gaps.