Posted on 01/31/2005 5:23:03 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
A NEW bipartisan coalition of religious leaders has demanded a ban on late-term abortions and the publication of government-held records of every woman who aborts a fetus.
The new forum, held in Sydney last night, gathered together religious leaders from a cross-section of faiths and was attended by Liberal MP Alan Cadman, National Party MP Ron Boswell, Independent senator Brian Harradine and Family First senator-elect Steven Fielding. The religious leaders signed a petition calling for laws to protect a fetus after 20 weeks' gestation. Where abortions were performed, they proposed that state governments be obliged to keep anonymous details of the mother's age, postcode area and reasons for terminating a pregnancy.
The petition also called for laws to ensure independent doctors gave oral and written advice to women considering abortion, describing the stage of development of the fetus, method of abortion and potential risks to the woman's physical and mental health.
Such advice would be the subject of a seven-day "cooling-off" period before an abortion could be performed.
Health Minister Tony Abbott, a Catholic, was asked yesterday by an anti-abortion Coalition senator to provide parliament with an estimate of the cost of offering all women seeking an abortion a free ultrasound of the fetus.
His outspoken criticism of the number of abortions in Australia, and his canvassing of measures to reduce terminations, sparked fiery debate in cabinet last year.
While Mr Abbott did not attend last night's meeting, he sent a message of support, saying: "If possible, we should move beyond the old pro-life, pro-choice debate to enable women to do what they think is best for their unborn children."
Nationals senator Ron Boswell tabled a series of parliamentary questions yesterday designed to force the Howard Government to release more information on abortion.
Debate over the abortion issue flared after the election when Mr Abbott and his parliamentary secretary, Chris Pyne, raised concerns over late-term abortion.
Controversy also erupted over the true number of abortions in Australia and whether the Medicare number referred only to terminations or included procedures after a miscarriage.
Very true! In the "minds" of many of our liberal friends, human beings merit less protection that pandas, spotted owls, perhaps some mosquitoes, and heaven knows what else. Protect the environment, kill the babies!
The new forum, held in Sydney last night, gathered together religious leaders from a cross-section of faiths and was attended by Liberal MP Alan Cadman, National Party MP Ron Boswell, Independent senator Brian Harradine and Family First senator-elect Steven Fielding. The religious leaders signed a petition calling for laws to protect a fetus after 20 weeks' gestation. Where abortions were performed, they proposed that state governments be obliged to keep anonymous details of the mother's age, postcode area and reasons for terminating a pregnancy.
I am impressed. Now why can't we do something like that? If they wanted to get around that pesky legislative process, however, they could solve abortion simply by getting the muslims involved. With radical imams calling for the heads of abortionists and radical fems, abortion would become a thing of the past tout de suite.
Interestingly enough, the muslims are involved in this new movement. Could make things very lively!
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