News

FamilyVoice Australia will campaign nationally to ensure that the George Christensen private member's bill to require medical practitioners to provide, under law, a child born alive during a late term abortion with assured medical care.

The bill has been lodged by Federal Member for Dawson George Christensen, and seconded by the Member for New England Barnaby Joyce and is titled Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Act 2021.

“The proposed bill will put in place a reporting requirement for medical practitioners to report children born alive as a result of abortion within seven days. It also underscores the false notion that the bill would require medical practitioners to provide life-saving treatments to non-viable babies” said Greg Bondar, spokesman for FamilyVoice Australia.

FamilyVoice is urging all members of parliament to ensure that a child born alive during a late term abortion remains alive. “The uncomfortable truth is that the child is left to die” added Greg Bondar.

The bill remedies the fact Australia is in breach of two international agreements to which it is a signatory: The Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which recognise the right to life and the right of access to life-saving health care services.

FamilyVoice supports the bill’s offence provision when no life-saving treatment is provided with penalties of higher than $400,000 for health practitioners and higher for corporations. The bill, which could see health practitioners who breach the law deregistered in Australia, is a proper and appropriate sanction for doctors who fail to ‘save lives’.

FamilyVoice encourages and urges all Australians to lend their support for this bill via its website.