BRISBANE Archbishop Mark Coleridge has hit back at Queensland’s pro-abortion MPs who claim that the state’s draft bill to legalise abortion was a “health issue” and supports a “woman’s choice”.
“When you talk about abortion you’re talking about two lives the mother and the child and both lives matter,” Archbishop Coleridge said.
He said a proposed abortion bill to be tabled in parliament this month would allow healthy expectant mothers “to have an abortion at any time in Queensland for a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with health”.
“According to the draft bill, abortion will be permitted until the moment of delivery if two doctors consider that ‘in all circumstances, the termination should be performed’,” Archbishop Coleridge said.
“So, it’s not a health issue. It’s an essentially moral issue that concerns the good of society as a whole because it touches on questions of life and death.”
Archbishop Coleridge warned against the tricky language of abortion used by the “pro-choice” movement.
“The ‘pro-choice movement’ is no such thing. It’s a pro-abortion movement,” Archbishop Coleridge said.
“Many women choose abortion because they feel or are made to feel that they have no other choice, when in fact they do.
“But the other choices aren’t presented to them by those who favour abortion.
“To speak of a woman’s rights is important, but what of the rights of unborn children, or do they have no real human status?
“If we say that one life matters and the other doesn’t or that it isn’t a life at all, we sign on to what Pope Francis calls ‘the throw-away culture’.
“But the catch with abortion is that it’s life we’re throwing away.”
Labor’s proposed bill aims to allow abortion and enforce safe zones around abortion clinics.
Under similar laws to those existing in Victoria, a woman could elect to abort a pregnancy up to 22 weeks, and it would allow terminations beyond 22 weeks (up until birth), if approved by two doctors.
The bill is expected to be tabled in parliament within weeks and debated in October.
“Those MPs who favour the legislation should say why they can accept that Queensland babies who may have reached 40 weeks gestation can be aborted when health isn’t a factor,” Archbishop Coleridge said.
“Many Queenslanders will be interested to hear their answer.
“I ask each individual Member of Parliament to see beyond worn-out ideologies and tricky language as you consider a vote which matters more than most do.”
