The State Parliament of New South Wales, Australia, is debating a bill that would legalize abortion until birth in the state. Currently, the law from 1900 criminalizing abortion is what stands, although a district court ruling in 1971 made it difficult to actually charge anyone involved with an abortion.
Abortion is already legal in the Australian State of Victoria as well as the State of Queensland. This proposed bill for New South Wales would allow for abortion for any reason up until 22 weeks gestation. It would also allow for abortion up until birth as long as two certifying consultant doctors approve the abortion for medical, psychological or socio-economic reasons.
Doctors can refuse to commit abortions, but the bill would force them to refer patients to doctors who are willing to kill preborn children — essentially forcing pro-life doctors to send innocent preborn humans to their deaths.
“I am sorry it has taken so long to achieve this reform,” Sydney MP Alex Greenwich told parliament on Thursday. “Let’s not delay any more. Now is the time for the parliament to come together to ensure women and their doctors are appropriately protected under the law.”
According to 9News, Greenwich also said that the bill recognizes the best outcomes in women’s reproductive health care, but abortion is not health care and it is not even a good outcome — and therefore certainly not the best outcome. If the intention of a “medical procedure” is to cause the death of a human, then it is, in reality, an evil and horrific outcome.
The bill has 15 co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle but not everyone supports it. About 200 pro-lifers stood outside of parliament in protest, yet the Australian Liberal Party made no attempt to get the public’s opinion on the bill, which was created with the assistance of the Australian Medical Association.
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Premier Gladys Berejiklian supports the expansive abortion bill but said that “it’s an extremely deeply emotional issue” for people. Because of that, she said it is important to her “for every colleague to have the opportunity … to express their views frankly and honestly and I know that for many people like myself, this isn’t an easy issue to come to terms with.” Each MP will have a chance to voice his or her thoughts on the bill.
However, those against the bill say it is being pushed through too quickly, and they want more time to debate it.
Liberal MP Nathaniel Smith said that the bill is being “rammed” through parliament and that it “will not protect women” and “should not be going into the Health Care Act, it should remain in the Crimes Act.”
MP and former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce also voiced criticism of the bill, using his new son to show that abortion takes human lives.
“In the New South Wales parliament, they are debating whether or not Tom had no classification of human rights. Whether before his umbilical cord was cute he was subhuman,” he said, before being cut off.
Greek Orthodox Archbishop Makarios released a statement calling for MPs to block the bill.
“Along with other Church leaders, I have already written to our Premier of New South Wales urgently requesting her to allow time for proper public consultation before this Bill is presented for debate,” he said. “We also personally beseech the honourable Members of Parliament to express their opposition to the Bill and support vulnerable pregnant mothers by offering other alternatives to abortion.”
If the bill passes as expected, New South Wales will become the last state in Austalia to decriminalize abortion.
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