News

euthanasia 800 002

The Catholic Church is warning against a dangerous Tasmanian euthanasia bill.

According to The Australian, Archbishop of Tasmania Julian Porteous and Catholic Health Australia are speaking out against the proposed law:

An 11th-hour push will seek major amendments to Tasmania’s voluntary euthanasia legislation, with Catholic Health Australia warning it will otherwise set a “perilously” flawed precedent other states may follow.

CHA, which operates more than 80 hospitals and hundreds of aged-care centres nationally, has enlisted a QC to prepare amendments to the End-of-Life-Choices bill and is seeking an urgent meeting with Premier Peter Gutwein.

Archbishop of Hobart Julian Porteous will also directly intervene in a direct plea to MPs, warning of the threat of “wrongful death” of the vulnerable due to insufficient safeguards.

Archbishop Porteous told The Australian that the public debate so far has not clearly brought to light the full nature of the dangers.

“The possibility that one person might die prematurely as a ­result of this legislation, through family coercion or because they have been given a wrong diagnosis or prognosis, should be sufficient for any reasonable person to reject this bill,” said Archbishop Porteous.

SA abortion how MPs voted 002

The Termination of Pregnancy Bill passed the lower house of SA Parliament on 19 February 2021.

29 MPs voted in favour of the abortion bill and 15 against.

Voted for the abortion bill

Basham, D.K.B., Bedford, F.E., Bettison, Z.L., Bignell, L.W.K., Boyer, B.I., Brown, M.E., Chapman, V.A., Close, S.E., Cook, N.F., Cowdrey, M.J., Gardner, J.A.W., Gee, J.P., Hildyard, K.A., Hughes, E.J., Luethen, P., Malinauskas, P., Marshall, S.S., McBride, N., Odenwalder, L.K., Piccolo, A., Picton, C.J., Pisoni, D.G., Power, C., Sanderson, R., Stinson, J.M., Szakacs, J.K., Treloar, P.A., Wingard, C.L., Wortley, D.

Voted against the abortion bill

Brock, G.G., Cregan, D., Duluk, S., Ellis, F.J., Harvey, R.M., Knoll, S.K., Koutsantonis, A., Michaels, A., Mullighan, S.C., Murray, S., Patterson, S.J.R., Pederick, A.S., Speirs, D.J., Tarzia, V.A., van Holst Pellekaan, D.C.

How MPs voted on David Speirs' amendment to provide greater protection for unborn children from late term abortions:

Ayes 20

Noes 26

Majority 6

In favour of greater protection for the unborn around late term abortion
Bell, T.S. Brock, G.G. Brown, M.E. Cowdrey, M.J. Cregan, D. Duluk, S. Ellis, F.J. Knoll, S.K. Koutsantonis, A. Malinauskas, P. Michaels, A. Mullighan, S.C. Murray, S. Patterson, S.J.R. Pederick, A.S. Piccolo, A. Power, C. Speirs, D.J.Tarzia, V.A. van Holst Pellekaan, D.C.

Against greater protection for the unborn around late term abortion
Basham, D.K.B. Bedford, F.E. Bettison, Z.L. Bignell, L.W.K. Boyer, B.I. Chapman, V.A. Close, S.E. Cook, N.F. Gardner, J.A.W. Gee, J.P. Harvey, R.M. Hildyard, K.A. Hughes, E.J. Luethen, P. Marshall, S.S. McBride, N. Odenwalder, L.K. Picton, C.J. Pisoni, D.G. Sanderson, R. Stinson, J.M. Szakacs, J.K. Teague, J.B. Whetstone, T.J. Wingard, C.L. Wortley, D.

pregnant

FEDERAL MP George Christensen is seeking to introduce a bill into Parliament which would require medical practitioners to provide a child born alive during a late term abortion with the medical care they need to survive.

“FamilyVoice totally supports MP George Christensen’s bill aimed at ensuring babies which survive abortion are not heartlessly left to die,” said Greg Bondar spokesman for FamilyVoice Australia.

Mr Christensen has had a bill prepared pointing out that 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.

FamilyVoice is encouraging the Prime Minister and other key ministers to support the adoption of this bill and for a conscience vote.

The bill makes it an offence not to provide life-saving treatment punishable with penalties of higher than $400,000 for health practitioners and higher for corporations and possibly see health practitioners who breach the law deregistered in Australia.

“We are encouraging all our supporters nationally to lend their support for this life-saving legislation,” said Greg Bondar.

“We are also delighted to announce that MP George Christensen will be our webinar guest speaker on Monday, 8 March.”

SA abortion bill passes LH

In the early hours of this morning (Friday 19th February) a majority of lower house MPs approved the abortion bill, in a very sad day for South Australia.

Voting 29 for the proposed law, and 15 against, the House of Assembly endorsed abortion up to 22 weeks and six days on demand, and under certain conditions beyond that point. The bill must now be considered by the upper house, which is likely to approve all the provisions in the bill.

While pro-life MPs were able to diminish some aspects of the emerging legislation, little comfort may be taken by those amendments. In particular, the specified conditions for late term abortion are the same as those currently flouted by the abortion providers in relation to early termination.

As we reflect upon this appalling result, it must be confessed that the bill has passed under our watch as the people of God. Clearly the influence of the Christian community as light and salt requires deep soul-searching.

Despite the stirling efforts of various pro-life groups, it must be admitted that Parliament has largely lost its way - but so have many of the churches.

Although FamilyVoice personally contacted about 250 pastors who are known to be conservative, only about 20 agreed to sign our open letter to MPs calling for a rejection of the termination of pregnancy bill. Shockingly, a number of Christian pastors in fact endorsed the proposed legislation.

Churches and most denominations were stunningly silent on this matter, leaving the heavy loading to the pro-family and pro-life organisations.

Nevertheless, we give thanks for faithful supporters who prayed and took action. We give thanks for generous donations that funded our engagement in social media, as we alerted supporters and facilitated pro-life action.

We give thanks for the pro-life medical practitioner who agreed to receive a grant from FamilyVoice (funded by a generous donor) to purchase copies of the powerful “Unplanned DVD” that especially highlights the horror of chemical abortion whereby women deliver their own deceased offspring, often in the family bathroom, and must dispose of little one. The doctor provided a copy to each lower house MP at the end of last year.

We are grateful to the donor who funded our quarter page advert in the Sunday Mail, along with full-page full colour ads in two rural newspapers, helping raise awareness and prompt action.

Resisting politically correct pressure, Life FM, Radio 5EBI and nationally broadcaster Faith FM gladly aired our concerns. We are grateful for their support in the fight.

We give thanks for a very brave young supporter, Ms B. Edwards, who had a surgical abortion and a chemical abortion in the years before she came to Christ as Saviour and Lord. Ms Edwards graciously agreed to put her testimony in writing in a letter we helped her send to all State lower house MPs, on the cusp of the debate.

In total, our abortion campaign consisted of a large number of emails, that supporters sent to MPs using our ‘OneClick’ system and Facebook ads which reached over 20,000 South Australians.

Interestingly, our supporters found mixed results when visiting or writing to MPs, which may provide a clue for future battles (eg concerning euthanasia, that is looming as the next challenge).

When one of our supporters visited a pro-abortion MP, the supporter found himself listening to a tirade of negative expression and could hardly get in a word edgeways. However, that supporter is to be commended for at least providing the MP with an opportunity to express herself as a basis for ongoing dialogue.

Only as more good people participate in the political process, through dialogue with MPs, and by joining and reforming the parties, can we expect to reverse the trend towards reckless social policy.

And as the battle for hearts and minds is won or lost not so much in Parliament, but in primary school, our vigorous encouragement to educate the young continues unabated.

While that approach to reform may take many years to bring fruit, we are ready now to tackle the next challenges as they arise.

But whether we win or lose, our prayer, alongside supporters like you, is to be faithful to the one who has already won victory for us all.

David d'Lima - SA State Director

FamilyVoice Australia

How SA MPs voted on the abortion bill

pregnant

Pro-abortion MP Nat Cook sounded like she was against abortion, when arguing with her pro-life ALP colleague Tom Koutsantonis MP in the South Australian Parliament today.

Mr Koutsantonis had urged his colleagues to consider how best to respond when a baby might survive the termination procedure.

This brought a sharp response from Ms Cook, a former registered nurse, who described in graphic detail the misery which resuscitation may involve, and said such measures ought not to apply.

“Ms Cook spoke with considerable expertise about the horrendous nature of heroic measures when medical people battle to resuscitate a baby, including the use of a myriad of needles, brain drainage and punctured lungs,” said FamilyVoice spokesman David d’Lima.

“Tragically, it sounded like a superb argument against surgical abortion,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the brutality of abortion is largely absent in this debate that is more concerned with definitions and semantics - including insisting the bill refer to pregnant persons, not pregnant women, lest offence be given to those not wishing to be identified as female.

“Using average statistics, more unborn South Australians have died during this awful debate this week than there are MPs arguing about their fate.”