Comment by PAUL DOBBYN
THE shouts were getting louder from the megaphone-wielding pro-abortionists as the Walk for Little Feet rally ended in Brisbane’s Botanic Gardens last weekend.
Something was being shouted about the forces opposing abortion, of which our group was a part, not caring if women died.
Between them and us were about 20 police.
It was Saturday, May 8, the day before Mother’s Day, and it was the 21st such walk by supporters of the Right To Life movement to protest the prevalence of abortion in society.
The marchers had started at a Salisbury abortion clinic. Nine kilometres on at South Bank, I’d joined the group for lunch and marched along with them.
I was reminded of the divisive topic that abortion is when I selected a placard to put across an appropriate message.
“You’ll notice that most of the placards have been ripped up and stuck back together,” organiser Graham Preston had said.
I looked closely at mine. He was right.
One of the marchers, an older woman, had earlier said someone had spat in her face at one such rally.
“You’re in good company,” was all I could say. “Christ had that happen to Him as well.”
Three kilometres on and we’d walked bearing placards and balloons past curious bystanders in the CBD.
The march was supposed to conclude at Parliament House, but to avoid clashes with the pro-abortionists, we’d been ordered to assemble in the main entrance to the gardens.
Now they were coming down the path. Some of those in our group were concerned and wanted to wrap things up.
The temptation was to find a megaphone and shout something back like: “You don’t care if children die!”
But we had children and some quite elderly people in our ranks.
The aggression which would have no doubt ensued would not have been healthy.
The police, sensing that public order was not going to be breached, had parted to let the opposing group closer.
All were young and in fact looked like university students. Now one of the leaders was shouting a slogan once adorning a T-shirt worn into Federal Parliament by former Greens Senator Kerry Nettle.
“Keep your rosaries off our ovaries,” they were shouting.
I didn’t think to look to see if any of the protesting men were joining in the cry.
The demand was ironic in Graham Preston’s case, however.
“Graham, given you’re a Baptist, you probably wouldn’t even possess a set of rosary beads?” I enquired.
“You’re right there,” he said with a grim smile.
Anyway, pretty soon the Walk for Little Feet folk had moved away to let the protesters have the stage.
I was left with a lot of thoughts including an exchange reported by one of the marchers.
He’d heard a little boy ask his mother what the people walking down the street with the balloons were doing.
His mother had replied that they were trying to stop people killing babies.
“Mummy, why would anyone want to kill a baby?” the mystified lad had asked.
A simple question to address what is indeed a complicated matter.
