LABOR HAS LEGALISED ABORTION UP TO BIRTH FOR ANY REASON
The Queensland Labor Government legalised abortion up to birth for any reason in 2018 via the extreme Termination of Pregnancy Act (2018).
When these laws passed on 17 October, 2018, by 50 votes to 41 votes, Labor MPs celebrated. Please see below video.
Find out how your MP voted by clicking here.
Queensland's abortion laws are particularly brutal. Aspects include:
Full-term abortion is legal
Even a healthy late-term baby of a healthy mother can be aborted in Queensland.
(But only 5% of Queenslanders agree with abortion right up to birth)*
Babies born alive in failed abortions are left to die
(But only 10% of Queenslanders think babies born alive in failed abortions should be left to die)*
Sex-selective abortion is legal
This brutal practice nearly always discriminates against female babies.
(But 83% of Queenslanders are opposed to sex-selective abortion)*
Anti-woman abortion laws
Women considering abortion have no practical supports like the offer of counselling and no checks against abortion coercion.
(But 88% of Queenslanders think women considering abortion should be offered counseling)*
Doctors' rights ignored
Doctors with a conscientious objection to abortion are forced to refer for abortion against their own conscience.
(But 74% of Queenslanders agree with a doctor's right to a full conscientious objection to abortion)*
* QUEENSLANDERS' VIEWS ON ABORTION
EXTREME & UNNECESSARY
Prior to the law change there were already around 14,000 abortions a year in Queensland, so there was no "need" to change the law for "accessibility to abortion". Instead, Labor's laws ushered in some of the most dangerous and extreme abortion-to-birth laws in the world - which removed all legal protection from unborn human beings (even full term babies), and did nothing to support or protect pregnant women and girls who may be in vulnerable situations.
At the time of the debate, in October 2018, the Labor Government even voted against amendments which included:
- Lowering the gestational limit for abortion.
- Offering women considering abortion counselling.
- Restoring the rights of doctors to a full conscientious objection.
- Removing "social circumstances" as one of the reasons for being able to have an abortion from 22 weeks up until birth.
MORE BABIES WOULD DIE UNDER ANOTHER LABOR GOVERNMENT & HERE'S WHY
1. The Queensland Labor Government has legalised abortion up to birth for any reason. All restraint from abortion has been removed in Queensland
The Termination of Pregnancy Act has no effective gestational limit on terminations.
It legalised abortion up to birth in Queensland, effectively for any reason.
The first part of the legalisation legalised abortion upon request (no questions asked) up to 22 weeks. In doing so it sanctioned the destruction of fully formed little humans on the brink of viability. In fact, some premature babies overseas have survived at 22 weeks gestation with high care.
Then from 22 weeks gestation until birth abortion is legal (refer to section 6 of the Act), under expanded and loose criteria including "current and future physical, psychological and social circumstances"*, with the approval of two doctors. However there is no requirement for the second doctor to see the patient or even look at her file, the approval could merely be an email or phone call. If no second opinion is sought, there is no legal penalty. There is no requirement for independence of the second approving doctor - both doctors could be abortionists for example.
*"physical, psychological and social circumstances" is notably loose criteria for obtaining an abortion from 22 weeks up until birth. The Queensland Law Commission briefing paper accompanying the Termination of Pregnancy Bill explained that "social circumstances" also includes relationship breakdown or economic troubles. So physical, psychological, social, economic and relational circumstances essentially covers every part of human life. So the Queensland Labor government has legalised abortion up to birth for any reason.
Before the law changed in 2018, abortions was were legal in Queensland up to about 20 weeks gestation if there was a serious risk to a woman's physical or psychological health, abortions could be obtained passed that time for fatal abnormalities or if the mother's health was in serious risk.
2. Victoria's law change has lead to an almost 50% annual average increase in late-term abortions.
The Queensland Act is modelled on the Victorian Abortion Law Reform Act 2018 which has resulted in a 48% increase in late-term abortions in Victoria over 10 years (please see below table) since the law was changed in 2008, compared with the 9 years beforehand. Furthermore, almost half of late-term abortions in Victoria over recent years have been for "psycho-social" reasons. These are the abortions of healthy babies of healthy mothers.
Source: Real Choices Australia
LATE-TERM HEALTHY BABIES OF HEALTHY MOTHERS BEING ABORTED IN VICTORIA
2011 in Victoria, a healthy baby of a healthy mother was aborted for "psycho-social" reasons at over 37 weeks gestation - this is regarded as a full-term baby.
In that same year, 10 healthy viable babies of healthy mothers between 28 and 31 weeks gestation also were aborted for "psycho-social" reasons in Victoria.
GESTATIONAL AGES OF LATE-TERM ABORTED HEALTHY BABIES TO HEALTHY MOTHERS
Gestational ranges of perinatal deaths (VICTORIA) from 2009-2015 for maternal psycho-social indications only - non-medical reasons, healthy babies to healthy mothers.
| Year | 20-27 weeks | 28-31 weeks | 32-36 weeks | 37+ weeks |
| 2015 | 107 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 146 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | 179 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 132 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 172 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 | 184 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 203 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
From Victorian Maternal, Perinatal, Child and Adolescent Mortality statistics,
The Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
While the Queensland Labor Government, with the support of Greens, is strongly to committed to open slather abortion laws, the Liberal National Party, Katter's Australian Party and One Nation Party have all commited to review these extreme laws. So there's hope.
Here's what they propose:
So please, this election:
MEDIA REFERENCES
Abortion Legislation Announcement, ABC Report, 16 July 2018
Discussion of Labor's full term abortion Bill, Channel 7, 17 August, 2018
Rally against Abortion Laws, 1 September, 2018
Labor's Abortion Bill is ideology dressed up as health care:
The Courier Mail, 15 October, 2018
Passing of the Abortion Bill, 17 October, 2018
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- Authorised by G. Duffy, Cherish Life Queensland, Suite 7 / 2 Benson Street, Toowong Qld 4066 -