ARCHBISHOP John Bathersby of Brisbane has spoken out in support of a move by the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference to pursue a High Court appeal over in-vitro fertilisation treatment for single women.
In a homily in St Stephen’s Cathedral, Brisbane, last Sunday, he said it was the duty of the Church to stand up for the rights of children, particularly unborn children.
As a “friend of the court”, the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ACBC) was granted leave last month to appeal a Federal Court ruling in Victoria that a single person could obtain in-vitro fertilisation assistance in order to bear a child.
The IVF treatment debate has intensified with a fierce backlash from the Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL) in Victoria criticising the intervention of the Catholic Church.
The electoral lobby has asked its supporters and other interested women to register their protest against the appeal.
