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Another Miraculous Victory for Life!
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The miraculous setback to abortion law reform that we witnessed in Queensland early this year has just been repeated in New South Wales!
On Thursday 11 May 2017, the Abortion Law Reform Bill to remove abortion from the New South Wales criminal code, introduced by Greens MLC Dr Mehreen Faruqi, was soundly defeated in a conscience vote 25 to 14.
Lyle Shelton, Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby, shared in his blog that "this year's wins in Queensland and New South Wales are the most significant since abortion became sanctioned under the cover of "blob of foetal tissue" rhetoric". The tide is turning!
In a campaign very similar to the one in Queensland, over 2,000 took part in a pro-life march to the NSW Parliament and 56,558 signed
a petition voicing strong opposition to the Bill. Bundles of the petitions were presented to the Upper House by Labor MLC Greg Donnelly.
Thank you to those in the Canberra Declaration community who wrote emails to the Members of the NSW Legislative Council and prayed.
A special thanks to those who prayed during the debate outside the NSW Parliament in Sydney at the invitation of the Christian Democratic Party MLC Rev Hon Fred Nile and to those who prayed the
Prayer for the Protection of Unborn Babies in Australia.
Your prayers have made a difference!
An excellent example of this is how the two Queensland Abortion Law Reform Bills, introduced by Independent MP Rob Pyne, were withdrawn within 72 hours of the
National Day of Prayer and Fasting. On that day
people all over Australia prayed that these atrocious Bills, which were calling for an open slather approach to abortion, would be defeated.
Abortion proponents kept
arguing
that the present abortion laws were archaic and that Dr Faruqi's Bill would bring NSW abortion laws in line with other jurisdictions with the exception of Queensland. Dr Faruqi herself, even at the defeat of her Bill in a conscience vote,
argued
that her Bill was not radical and that
"the women of NSW, medical practitioners, lawyers and, most importantly the community overwhelmingly support the decriminalization of abortion".
It is obvious that the proponents of abortion in Australia are not aware that the tide is turning. A Galaxy poll conducted in May 2016 for the Australian Family Association, for example, showed that the overwhelming majority of Queenslanders are firmly against abortion. NSW is most likely not much different.
Jaya Taki told her story at an Abortion Rethink event to Members of the NSW Parliament and members of the public. This took place on 3 May at Parliament House. She was part of an expert panel discussing proposed changes to state abortion laws. Many who heard her story were moved to tears.
One of the most exciting developments is that God is raising up a pro-life generation. Princeton University Law professor Robert P George, in addressing 2,000 leaders of Students for Life in the USA said "the tide is turning toward pro-life". In receiving the 2015 Defender of Life award, he then told them
"I see the future and you are it".
This youtube entitled 'The Tide is Turning' gives an inspiring glimpse of the pro-life generation. (Robert George was one of the writers of the Manhattan Declaration which inspired the Canberra Declaration).
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The Pro-Life Generation leading a March in Melbourne |
Wendy Francis, who spoke to over 3,000 who took part in the March for Life in Queensland, noted that "young people were strongly represented" and that "a pro-life generation is emerging who have seen ultrasound images on facebook, are more aware of the value of life, and who want to be more responsible than the previous generation."
- Please pray that God will continue to raise up a pro-life generation in Australia who will be key in the ending of abortion.
During the debate MLC the Hon. Paul Green finished his moving speech to the Members of the Legislative Council (which is found below) imploring "how is the unborn meant to communicate its concerns? It it obvious. It comes through us .. We have carriage to represent those who have no voice and I implore you to use your position to represent them".
- Please thank the twenty-five MLCs who voted against the Bill to introduce open slather abortion in NSW. Once again we recommend that you use the Australian Family Association email tool (select 'E-mail your politician' from the Menu, tick the box for the New South Wales Legislative Council, tick the parties and then MLCs that you want to thank). Here are their names -
Liberal Party
- Lou Amato,
David Clarke,
Catherine Cusack,
Scott Farlow, Don Harwin, Scot MacDonald, Natasha Maclaren-Jones, Shayne Mallard, Taylor Martin, Greg Pearce, Peter Phelps
Nationals - Niall
Blair
, Rick Colless, Ben Franklin, Duncan Gay, Trevor Khan, Sarah Mitchell, Bronnie Taylor
Labor - Greg Donnelly, Shaoquett Moselmane, Ernest Wong
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers - Robert Borsak, Robert Brown
Christian Democratic Party - Paul Green, Reverend Fred Nile
In recent years many in the pro-life movement were losing hope. Today, however, it is a different story.
As the people of God pray to end abortion, the tide is turning!
"But thanks be to God!
He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,
because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:57-58)
Yours for praying and acting to end abortion,
David Rowsome and Warwick Marsh
STOP PRESS! Last night in the Tasmanian House, MPs
voted down
Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 16-8. Another victory for LIFE!
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Speech
by the Hon. Paul Green Christian Democratic Party Member of the NSW Legislative Council
I rise on behalf of the Christian Democratic Party to speak to the Abortion Law Reform (Miscellaneous Acts Amendment) Bill 2016.
Mr President, just on face value, this bill is fundamentally flawed:
- It removes all prohibitions against unlawful abortions without proposing any regulation to fill the gaps or address the issues this creates.
- It does not make any attempt to understand or address the societal issues which might make women view abortion as their only choice, nor does it include any safeguards to ensure women are giving fully informed consent.
- Mr President, it actually erodes the freedom of thought and conscience that are recognised as a fundamental human right and is disproportionate to the perceived need the bill seeks to address.
- Finally, the bill imposes restrictions on Doctors' conscious objection that are in stark conflict with 'best practice' guidelines from the Medical Board of Australia and the Australian Medical Association (AMA).
Mr President, this bill is out of step with community attitudes and is a radical departure from the current law with profound implications for women and our community.
Rather than decriminalising abortion, we need to review our attitudes and practices to ensure there are appropriate safeguards for the well-being of the unbornchild, the woman, and others impacted by the decision.
An example for much needed safeguards comes to mind - The recent NRL scandals where the women having abortions where they were not only coerced by their partners, but deeply regretful of their abortions.
Jaya Taki has revealed to Abortion Rethink via YouTube, how she considered "throwing herself in front of a train" over her decision to abort a child and suffers post-traumatic stress disorder. No one asked if this was her choice. No one offered support.
Jaya stated:
I should be empowered by that 'choice' because I am a woman and I got to make that choice for my body... but I am not liberated, I am the exact opposite of that.
Mr President, Jaya goes onto say:
From having a miscarriage, from having an abortion and from having a child, I can tell you there is only one that has liberated me as a woman (PAUSE)... and that is being a mother.
Too many women have experienced pressure, coercion, abuse, domestic violence, absence of true care and informed consent, and a general lack of information and support surrounding abortion and unplanned pregnancy.
Critically, the bill does not make any attempt to understand or address the societal issues which might make women view abortion as their only choice, nor does it include any safeguards to ensure women are giving fully informed consent.
Mr President, the Christian Democratic Party does not support this bill and encourages other Members of this House not to fall for the slippery slope that this bill aims to achieve.
I want to sincerely thank those who wrote to me and emailed me, Abortion Rethink, the many churches and NGOs for their considered support in opposing this bill.
Mr President, as a young nurse, I myself participated in a terminating a pregnancy... I saw on the ultrasound the presence of an absolutely tiny heartbeat, flicking on and off like a lighthouse light far beyond the ocean. On... off... on... off... Disappear and come back with absolute surety... Until the surgeon removed the heartbeat from the mother's womb... Then there was nothing... It was here I felt empty about what I was participating in.
At that point in my life, I was not a practising Christian, just a young nurse doing their job. However, since that time, I have made every effort to make a commitment in my heart to not be part of that again.
The last question I have for members of this House is this - How is the unborn meant to communicate its concerns?
It is obvious. It comes through us, Parliamentarians, for both the born and the unborn. We have carriage to represent those that have no voice and I implore you use your position to represent them.
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