The following was sent to me by a friend. It comes from an organisation called CherishLife
http://www.cherishlife.org.au/
I would say that the best argument against any form of pregnancy termination is that it is a slippery slope.
If you were wondering where this slippery slope could be taking us, just read on.
| URGENT action required in support of the Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022. On 30 November 2022, Senators Alex Antic (Liberal Party, South Australia), Ralph Babet (United Australia Party, Victoria) and Matt Canavan (LNP, Queensland) introduced the Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022 into the Australian Senate. This collective effort comes after the original bill, sponsored by former LNP MP George Christensen, lapsed when the House of Representatives was dissolved ahead of the federal election in May 2022. We now have the opportunity to write a submission (letter) to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs which is to accept written and later oral submissions in support of this Bill. Background Information. The goal of this Bill is to ensure that a child who is born alive because of a failed abortion procedure is entitled to the same level of medical care and treatment as any other newborn child. In his second reading speech to the Senate on 30th of November 2022, Senator Matt Canavan said in part that: “Article 24 (of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child) of which Australia is a signatory says Australia shall take appropriate measures to diminish infant and child mortality. In short, Australia has committed to every child having the right to life, every child having access to health care and reducing the deaths of babies”.”Yet in this nation, potentially hundreds of babies are born alive as a result of abortion procedures without any significant subsequent intervention. Our most vulnerable are simply left to die”.” The Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022 seeks to place a duty of care on medical practitioners to provide exactly the same medical care and treatment to a child born alive as a result of an abortion as they would a child born in any other circumstances”. You can read the whole speech by clicking on this link: Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022 Late term Abortion and Live Births in Queensland. Since the full legalisation of abortion in QLD in 2018 through the Termination of Pregnancy Act, abortions can be performed after 20 weeks for any reason relating to “the woman’s current and future physical, psychological and social circumstances”(Clause 2b) which effectively means abortion is legal for any reason right up to birth. Late-term abortions were being performed well before legalisation, as we know that between 2010-2020 there were 1153 such abortions in Queensland. (1) These were done for a variety of conditions affecting either the unborn child or the mother. Under the current law, two doctors must review and agree upon the abortion being performed. In Queensland, abortions past 20 weeks are done in a hospital setting.One such hospital is the Royal Brisbane and Woman’s Hospital (RBWH). A study of late term abortions performed there in that same time span, 2010-2020, reveals that foeticide (killing the unborn before the abortion process) is a routine if not universal way to prevent a live birth occurring. Between 2010-2020, 305 foeticides were performed. (2). The process involves accessing the foetal heart through the maternal uterus via ultrasound guidance and injecting a solution of potassium chloride which causes asystole (the heart stops beating). No anaesthesia appears to be given to the unborn child during this procedure. Following this, birth is induced at the woman’s local hospital if possible. Being a tertiary hospital, the RBWH receives referrals from a wide area. The study reports that there was an increase in late-term abortions from 20 in 2010 to 54 in 2020.The reasons given in this study for late term abortion were still mainly for foetal abnormality and maternal health. Abortion done for purely psychosocial reasons comprised 8% of cases. This study made the point that it did not include all late-term abortions at RBWH, only those which involved foeticide. However, we know that over the same time span, 328 babies were born alive in Queensland. (3) In the case of a live birth, there is no requirement to take any action to medically assess the child’s likelihood of surviving, nor to provide any support for his/her life or palliative care if life is unsustainable. The current Queensland Health guidelines for handling the situation should a live birth occur is to “handle the baby gently and carefully and wrap to provide warmth. Do not provide life sustaining treatment. Provide sensitive emotional support and reassurance to parents throughout the process and afterwards”. (4) What this Bill does is require that medical care or treatment which is appropriate in the circumstances be given in the same way as it would be to any other baby not born as a result of an abortion. Although active resuscitation may not always be appropriate, it is akin to infanticide to deny the chance of life to a baby because he/she has been born as a result of an abortion. The Bill also exempts mothers of babies born alive from prosecution. Instead, it seeks to enshrine an offence for health practitioners who contravene the duty to provide medical care or treatment to a child born alive. Statistics from other States: According to Joanna Howe, Associate Professor in Law at the University of Adelaide, “In Victoria and Queensland in the last 10 years, 724 babies have been born alive and I hate to say it, but actually left to die. They have no rights to medical treatment, no rights to palliative care”. (5)Senator Antic adds, “In 2016, something like 33 babies met their fate in Victoria, so this is appalling stuff. It really is staggering to most people”. (6)There are fewer statistics from other states as there is either no obligation to keep them, or they are not sufficiently clear to differentiate between different causes of neonatal deaths. This Bill will also provide for mandatory reporting of all babies born alive as a result of abortion. Objections Raised against this Bill: The most common comment that has been made about the Bill is that is “unnecessary.” This means one of three things: 1. It is “unnecessary” because live births from abortion do not ever occur- we have demonstrated that this simply isn’t true shown by the information given above 2. It is “unnecessary” because the method of abortion ensures a dead baby is born- it is not mandatory that some form of foeticide is delivered prior to inducing birth. Foetal abnormalities are not necessarily lethal and the baby may be strong enough to survive birth. Certainly, in the case of psychosocial reasons, presumably the baby is healthy. The age of gestation at which the abortion is performed also is a determining factor in the likelihood of a live birth. 3. It is ‘unnecessary’ because it draws attention to the fact of late-term abortion which is often the unspoken reason to oppose this legislation. A live birth is an embarrassment to the abortion lobbyists and distressing to staff and Parents. What Can I Do? 1. Letters (submissions) are urgently requested to go to the Senate Committees on Community Affairs by 10 March although they possibly could be accepted after that date. Please do not be alarmed at the thought of writing a submission! You need only write a short email, using some of the ideas from this newsletter in your own words. You will find the link to the Senate committee page below. Submission to Senate Committee: If you have trouble using this site, just write an email to: community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au 2. Senator Antic has set up a petition in support of the Bill. Please use the following link to go to his website. Link to Petition 3. Raise Awareness – More Australians need to be aware of what is happening with regards to these innocent children. Therefore, please share this article as widely as you can, with all your friends and on social media platforms. 4. Either by volunteering or financial donation (or both) you can seek to provide a voice for these innocent children who are being left to die. Support Cherish LifePlease act today as time is short to support these three senators in their initiative to ensure the human rights of children born alive as a result of an abortion are respected and upheld. Dr Donna Purcell President References (1) Queensland Health, Queensland Government, Perinatal annual Reports for 2010-2020 Table 10.13 in each report (Main Condition in fetus/neonate by type of perinatal death) (2) Rosser S, Sekar R, Laporte J et al. Late Termination of pregnancy at a major Queensland tertiary hospital,2010-2020 Med. J Aust 2022;217:410-414 (3) Queensland Health, Queensland Government, Perinatal Annual Reports for 2010-2020, Table 10.13 in each report (“Main Condition in fetus/neonate by type of perinatal death”)(4) “Maternity and Neonatal Clinical Guideline, Termination of Pregnancy Queensland Government https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0029/735293/g-top.pdf (5) Joanna Howe (@drjoannehowe), “Breaking News,” Instagram Post. November 30, 2022. https://www.instagram.com/p/Clk6avLD4-C/ (6) Ibid. [iv] “CHILDREN BORN ALIVE PROTECTION BILL – WE NEED YOUR HELP!” Cherish Life Website, accessed 24/01/2023, https://www.cherishlife.org.au/babies_born_alive [v] Joanna Howe (@drjoannehowe), “Breaking News,” Instagram Post. November 30, 2022. https://www.instagram.com/p/Clk6avLD4-C/ [vi] Ibid. [vii] “Political push to ‘protect’ babies born alive after abortion,” The OZ, accessed 16 January 2023, https://www.theaustralian.com.au/the-oz/news/political-push-to-protect-babies-born-alive-after-abortion/news-story/a6fa6d5e922ae894793939d332557324 [viii] Ibid. [ix] Gianna Jesson, “One of the best Pro-Life speeches EVER! Gianna Jesson abortion survivor Full video”, YouTube 22 August, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOWMmx6eBjU&t=89s&ab_channel=JenniferJohnson [x] “Political push to ‘protect’ babies born alive after abortion,” The OZ, accessed 16 January 2023, https://www.theaustralian.com.au/the-oz/news/political-push-to-protect-babies-born-alive-after-abortion/news-story/a6fa6d5e922ae894793939d332557324 [xi] Senator Alex Antic, “Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022”, YouTube 8 December, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfJMbcCMGw4&ab_channel=SenatorAlexAntic [xii] “Political push to ‘protect’ babies born alive after abortion,” The OZ, accessed 16 January 2023, https://www.theaustralian.com.au/the-oz/news/political-push-to-protect-babies-born-alive-after-abortion/news-story/a6fa6d5e922ae894793939d332557324 CherishLife http://www.cherishlife.org.au/ |
