CATHOLIC students across Australia are bringing the rights of the unborn into the public arena and will fight against a proposed Victorian legislation that would decriminalise abortion in the state.
The Australian Catholic Students Association (ACSA) has voiced its total opposition to the proposed plan to decriminalise abortion.
ACSA president Camillus O’Kane said the introduction of the Crimes (Decriminalisation of Abortion) Bill by Labor backbencher Candy Broad would allow unborn children to be killed in utero.
“Under current laws it is illegal to have an abortion or to perform an abortion in Victoria,” Mr O’Kane said.
“However, in practice, Victorian women have had access to abortions under the 1969 Menhennitt court ruling that permits abortions to protect the mother’s physical or mental health.”
About 20,000 abortions are conducted in Victoria each year under the 1969 Menhennitt ruling.
“Most Australians are concerned that some 90,000 surgical abortions are performed in Australia each year, and we fear that if this bill passes the number of abortions will rise significantly,” Mr O’Kane said.
ACSA is the peak organisation representing thousands of Catholic secondary and tertiary students across Australia.
