An act of terrorism against women that ended with the death of a man. Murder on His Mind details the events of 16 July 2001 when security guard Steve Rogers was shot dead inside Melbourne’s Fertility Control Clinic. The Crown Prosecutor described the gunman as having gone to the clinic with ‘murder on his mind’. This new edition brings back into print one insider’s account of the crime that became known as Australia’s Abortion Clinic Murder. Dr Susie Allanson was the Clinic’s psychologist when the murder occurred and provides answers to the questions that fascinated the public about the case at the time and to this day. What really happened on that day? What went on in the mind of the gunman? How did the victims cope? What really goes on in an abortion-providing clinic? A riveting read for true crime buffs and for those concerned with their own or others’ reactions and recovery to traumatic events, women’s health rights and the usually secretive reproductive crises facing women and their families every day.
Susie Allanson B.A. (Hons. Psychology), M. A. (Clinical Psychology), PhD, was a clinical psychologist in Melbourne for almost forty years, and the clinical psychologist at the Fertility Control Clinic for twenty-six years. Susie’s clinical work also focused on children and families in settings such as the Royal Children’s Hospital, Children’s Court Clinic, schools and her private practice. She has served on the Board of Family Planning Victoria and various committees, been a supervisor and reviewer, and has spoken and written about pregnancy and abortion in various forums and in professional journals. Susie is the author of the novel Genevieve Knows Too Much and co-author with lawyer Lizzie O’Shea of Empowering Women: From Murder & Misogyny to High Court Victory (2021).
* This is a new edition of an out of print book. Murder on His Mind is an insider’s gripping account of Australia’s Abortion Clinic Murder that shocked and intrigued the country. * 2021 is the 20th anniversary of the murder of security guard Steve Rogers and 15 years since the original publication of the book. * A book to rediscover for true crime buffs. * Explores the psychological reactions to and recovery from traumatic events as well as women’s health rights in Australia and the usually secretive reproductive crises facing women and their families every day. * Includes a new foreword by the author. * Includes the original foreword by Natasha Stott Despoja AO, now Member of UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and Author of On Violence. Publicity: * Will be tied to the publicity for Dr Susie Allanson and Lizzie O’Shea’s new book Empowering Women, releasing July 2021, about the landmark legal case and successful feminist activism that followed Steve Rogers’ murder. * Features, reviews and interviews including in The Guardian, news.com.au, The Age, The Daily Telegraph, The Sydney Morning Herald andThe Saturday Paper. * TV coverage on The Project, The Feed and The Drum. * Radio promotion on SBS Australia, ABC National, 3AW and Mamamia, Women’s Agenda. * Podcasts including Mamamia Out Loud, Ladies We Need to Talk, Australian True Crime, and Fierce Girls.
