Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home News

New South Wales debates abortion-to-birth laws, MP disgusted how bill was being ‘rammed’ through

byJoe Higgins
9 August 2019 - Updated on 1 April 2021
Reading Time: 4 mins read
AA

Life: “The hour of birth is an arbitrary point in modern medicine.”

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Life: “The hour of birth is an arbitrary point in modern medicine.”

AUSTRALIAN state legislatures are falling like dominoes to radical abortion laws, with New South Wales the next state tabling abortion-to-birth legislation.

The Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 passed the NSW lower house 59-31 just before 11pm on August 8. 

It still has to pass the state senate.

Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher condemned the introduction of the bill, which would decriminalise abortion.

Like Queensland’s 2018 abortion legislation, NSW would sign up to abortion on demand for women up to 22 weeks pregnant.

After 22 weeks, the abortion could be legally undertaken with the consent of two doctors.

Making abortion more widespread

Archbishop Fisher said the new legislation was an attack on the sanctity of life and must be strongly opposed.

“New attempts to make abortion even more widely available in NSW are deeply troubling,” he said.

“The measure of a society is how it protects its most vulnerable, be they unborn children; their mothers who are too often pressured emotionally, financially and even physically to choose against the life of their child; or the sick and frail elderly.”

Related Stories

Pro-life advocates positive despite pro-abortion leaders in the United States

State’s largest pro-life group reflects on 50 years of service

Pregnancy safe house preparing for new intake of vulnerable mums

Pro-life organisation Emily’s Voice communications specialist Claire van Ryn said in a blog-post there would be no protection for women or babies.

She said up to 22 weeks, any girl or woman, of any age, for any reason, could ask for an abortion.

Statistics out of Victoria showed there were 310 late-term abortions in 2016, 40 per cent of which were for psychosocial reasons.

Of those, 33 babies were born alive and later died from prematurity.

Ms van Ryn said that, in 2016, then Queensland health minister Cameron Dick told Parliament 27 unborn Queenslanders survived abortions the previous year and eventually died.

Protecting human life paramount

Archbishop Fisher said rather than pursuing laws that would lead to more abortions, society should be investing in ways to support pregnant women who felt they had no other choice.

“I urge all Catholics to rally against this proposed law and, at the same time, recommit ourselves to reaching out with prayer and practical support for women in crisis,” he said.

“We must tell our elected MPs that if they are serious about wanting to protect human life they must reject this bill.”

As the bill was introduced to Parliament on August 1, a Rally for Life brought hundreds of pro-life protesters to the street outside NSW Parliament.

Addressing the rally, Liberal State MP Nathaniel Smith said he was disgusted at how the bill was “rammed” through Parliament.

“This is not an issue like a hip replacement, a nose job, a fake tan – this is a human being,” he said.

“This will not protect women, this should not be going into the health care act, it should remain in the Crimes Act.”

The bill has the backing of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard, and has 15 co-sponsors, the most of any bill in the state’s history.

But there has been significant parliamentary backlash.

Finance Minister Damien Tudehope, in an opinion column in The Sydney Morning Herald, decried the bill as “unjust”.

The state bill was raised in the Federal Parliament too.

During question time, Member for New England Barnaby Joyce referred to his newborn son Tom in criticism of the abortion bill.

“Long before he was born … Tom had rights even though he was not conscious of them – they should not be removed by a parliament,” he told the Lower House in Canberra.

“The hour of birth is an arbitrary point in modern medicine.”

Previous Post

Two rivers meeting, hope for Solidarity – panel agrees future of Indigenous Australia full of hope

Next Post

From Queensland to Vatican, Catholics join prayers for the victims of bloody weekend in the US

Joe Higgins

Related Posts

News

Pro-life advocates positive despite pro-abortion leaders in the United States

2 February 2021
News

State’s largest pro-life group reflects on 50 years of service

7 December 2020
News

Pregnancy safe house preparing for new intake of vulnerable mums

30 November 2020
Next Post

From Queensland to Vatican, Catholics join prayers for the victims of bloody weekend in the US

Pacific Catholic leader to speak on the poor, climate change and the threat of rising tides

Sharing the Gospel – Brisbane Oratory strives to sanctify the laity and authentically live the faith

Popular News

  • March for Life set to attract big crowd opposed to abortion, euthanasia

    March for Life set to attract big crowd opposed to abortion, euthanasia

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong Catholic media tycoon, sent to prison

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Pope prays for peace and reconciliation between Moscow and Kiev as military tensions rise

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What is lust?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Relationship advisers Megan and Nahum Kozak share six tips to a happy, lasting relationship

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

March for Life set to attract big crowd opposed to abortion, euthanasia
News

March for Life set to attract big crowd opposed to abortion, euthanasia

by Mark Bowling
19 April 2021
0

A CATHOLIC doctor, who will speak at this year’s Brisbane March for Life on Saturday May 8,...

Sudarium of Oviedo: Was it really used to cover the face of Jesus after his death?

Was the Sudarium of Oviedo really wrapped around Jesus’ head after his death?

19 April 2021
Pope prays for peace and reconciliation between Moscow and Kiev as military tensions rise

Pope prays for peace and reconciliation between Moscow and Kiev as military tensions rise

19 April 2021
Catholic media tycoon and philanthropist Jimmy Lai, now behind bars in Hong Kong. He was among nine activists found guilty of charges relating to pro-democracy demonstrations.

Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong Catholic media tycoon, sent to prison

19 April 2021
Flying buttresses are pictured on the exterior of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris Dec. 23, 2019. Two years after a fire destroyed much of the church's wooden structure, a fundraising group is urging people to sponsor a statue or gargoyle to help with reconstruction.

‘Sponsor a gargoyle’ to help rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral

16 April 2021
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop
    Continue Shopping