12 October 2008
Media Release
A Day of Betrayal and Shame
The passing of the infamous Abortion Law Reform Bill by the Victorian Legislative Assembly marks a day of shame in the
history of human rights in the State of Victoria. The first duty of the State is to protect the right to life of all of
its citizens. It has a special duty to protect the lives of the weak and defenceless in society. The State has an
overwhelming interest and duty to protect the lives of its future citizens. The unborn child is a member of the human
family and is the weakest and most defenceless member of society. The Bill also denies the personhood of the unborn
child. We should remember that it was the denial of the personhood of the Negro that gave the world slavery and the
denial of the personhood of the Jew that gave us the holocaust. It is the denial of the personhood of the unborn that is
giving us the abortion holocaust.
Human rights are conferred by our Creator, not by the State or by the community. The unborn child is a bearer of human
rights. At conception the unborn child is conferred with an inalienable right to life. and should be accorded the
respect due to the human person. The passing of this Bill entails the State withdrawing its legal protection for the
human rights of the unborn child. It is now no longer a crime to kill an unborn child. This is a violation of the rights
of the child. It is also a violation of the human rights of the mother who has a right to have the protection of the
State for herself and for her child. The Bill is thus an attack on the dignity of women and of motherhood. The Bill is
falsely touted as an empowering victory for women, it is not, it represents further oppression. A woman distressed with
an unplanned pregnancy deserves from the community love, compassion and help, not assistance to destroy her child.
The Bill will encourage the further exploitation and abuse of women. Studies have linked abortion to increased substance
abuse, suicide and psychiatric ill health. Studies conducted overseas reveal that 64% of women who have an abortion are
coerced by the father of the child, family and friends. This Bill will further encourage men to coerce women into having
an abortion against their will with threats of abandonment and violence in order to reject their responsibilities for
the mother and the child they have fathered.
The Bill is also a violation of the conscience of doctors. The Bill makes it obligatory for a doctor whose conscience is
opposed to abortion to refer the women seeking an abortion to another doctor who is prepared to destroy the child. The
unborn child is a patient; a doctor has a duty to do no harm and maintain the utmost respect for human life from the
moment of conception. This Bill is a threat to the lives of the unborn of every other State and New Zealand.
ENDS