THE irony is not lost on me. Here I am writing a column on guilt-free motherhood while feeling guilty because it has taken me so long to do. I often say, if I could give any new mother a gift, it would be guilt-free motherhood, after all we are all just flawed human beings doing our best. Whether you are ... Read More »
Tag Archives: mother
Trauma counsellor warns about psychological impacts of termination in wake of draft abortion bill
AN internationally renowned Catholic trauma counsellor has warned of serious long-term psychological impacts on Queensland women if the state’s MPs back a draft bill to legalise abortion. “I’m hoping against hope that it won’t get through,” post-abortion grief and sexual abuse counsellor Anne Lastman said. In the past 17 years, the Melbourne-based counsellor has assisted more than 1500 women who have ... Read More »
‘A truly sad day for Ireland’: Irish Catholic women living in Australia mourn abortion vote
IRISH mum Susan Erbacher was with her six children in their Forest Lake home when Ireland voted ‘Yes’ to legalising abortion up to 12 weeks. “I was here with my children on Saturday morning, and they had been asking me about it because they had prayed hard for a ‘no’ vote,” Mrs Erbacher said. “I didn’t tell them for a ... Read More »
Queenslanders to give fighting chance for the unborn
PRO-life supporters are gearing up for a month of tireless campaigning to ensure Queensland politicians protect the unborn. Cherish Life Queensland announced the annual March For Life will be held in Brisbane on March 18, a day after the first national summit for the grassroots campaign Abortion Rethink. Four thousand people turned up to last year’s March for Life rally ... Read More »
International Women’s Day: Young mother living in regional Queensland found blessings and strength in isolation
WHEN Mary Wright needs something from the shops, it can sometimes mean a gruelling 12-hour drive in a car with four children under five. The young mother from Mount Isa believes family support in isolated towns is one of the biggest challenges facing women with children living in regional areas. “Because we live so far away and Mount Isa is ... Read More »
Moments of suffering leads young pro-lifers on 1500km walk through eastern Australia
SYDNEY Dunavin is walking from Brisbane to Melbourne in a neon-yellow shirt to tell Australians what happened when her mother had an abortion three decades ago. Ms Dunavin was a young girl when her mum told her she had an abortion two years before giving birth to her eldest sister. “I could see when she told me the pain that ... Read More »
Push to have women tested for Fragile X Syndrome ‘ethically troublesome’
A THORNY ethical dilemma surrounds a new push by doctors to have women screened for Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), linked to intellectual disabilities and the most common single genetic cause of autism. Researchers at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the University of Melbourne are recommending that women should be offered testing for FXS, an inherited genetic condition, if pregnant ... Read More »
Catholic ethicist says some fertility clinics misleading desperate couples with false IVF success rates
CONCERNS have been raised by a leading Catholic ethicist that some of Australia’s major IVF clinics have been misleading couples with information about success rates. Queensland priest Fr Kevin McGovern, emeritus director at the Caroline Chisholm Centre for Health Ethics, Melbourne, described as “deceitful” how some IVF clinics presented figures on their websites “to create the impression that the chance ... Read More »
Woman set free from abortion shame recalls trauma: ‘He dropped me off outside a surgery and drove off’
This is the testimony of Sue*, aged 47, about how her abortion affected her life. WHEN I was 20, I met a young man and we started a relationship. We moved in to a flat together and it was an intense beginning to early adult life. My boyfriend told me often that he loved me and there were numerous romantic ... Read More »