A CATHOLIC mother of seven, who recently received an eight-month suspended jail sentence for taking part in a protest vigil outside a Brisbane abortion clinic, has asked for prayers as she considers her future.
Anne Rampa, of Dayboro, north-west of Brisbane, was arrested with Annerley father of six Graham Preston, outside a Greenslopes abortion clinic on February 18.
Once charged, Ms Rampa accepted bail on condition of not returning to the abortion clinic until after her court case had been heard.
Mr Preston refused to accept the condition and had already served 70 days in jail on remand when he appeared in court.
Ms Rampa and Mr Preston represented themselves in Brisbane Magistrates Court on April 28.
Both belong to the group Protect Life and have often protested outside abortion clinics since the group’s formation in 2002.
Both he and Ms Rampa received sentences suspended for the next two years on the condition they do not reoffend.
Ms Rampa said her understanding was she would receive an eight-month jail term if she reoffended.
She also understood Mr Preston’s term should he reoffend would be six months, given time already served.
Ms Rampa said the outcome had put her in a quandary and she had many fears about involvement in further actions outside abortion clinics.
“The longest I’ve spent in jail as a result of similar protests has been about a week,” she said.
“If I am charged again I would be away a very long time from my children – I still have three children attending primary school and the youngest is seven.”
A registered teacher, she has also had to appear before a judicial panel of the Queensland College of Teachers to defend her registration following her arrest.
“But despite all these fears, I still know that acting in a direct way to try and rescue the children, is the action that has the most integrity,” she said.
“It is the hardest, but most powerful way to proclaim the humanity of the unborn babies.
“We must treat them as we would a born baby we can see is in lethal danger.
“Ultimately as Christians we are there for the ‘least’ and the voiceless – to make visible their rights.”
Ms Rampa, who is also a member of the Catholic Worker community, appealed for prayers as she sought to discern a way forward.
“We’re going to need the community’s support in this,” she said.
“I’ll also have to hold discussions with my family.
“We’ll see what God provides.”
There are some indications of what this provision might be, she said.
“My daughter Rebecca, 18, will be home from the United States soon,” she said.
“Two young members of the Catholic Worker movement from New Zealand will also soon be moving in to stay with us.”
