- Most Australians do not know babies are born alive in "failed" abortions in this country.
- Abortion laws have been deregulated in every state - even allowing abortion up to due date - referred to as late term or 2nd or 3rd trimester abortions.
- This nationwide atrocity continues to this day.
- RTLA has had phone calls to our office from distressed nurses working on shifts in Melbourne hospitals who have witnessed where this has occurred.
- Facts about late term abortions and babies born alive are found in Table 3 of the Q and A fact sheet Late Term Abortion in Australia prepared by Associate Professor in Law Dr Joanna Howe1 and Dr Debbie Garrett2.
The Medical Journal of Australia as recently as 2022 published a paper by Prof. Caroline M Costa which refers to abortion during late gestation being "challenging" for staff particularly if the infant shows signs of life3.
"Termination of pregnancy during late gestation is distressing for the parents and can also be challenging for medical and midwifery staff, particularly if the infant shows signs of life after birth.
For this reason, it is now common practice to offer parents seeking terminations from 22 weeks' gestation (and sometimes earlier) feticide by intra-cardiac injection of potassium chloride, with ultrasound scanning control, to ensure stillbirth. These procedures and associated decisions are not well understood by the general public and not widely discussed even in the medical literature".
Babies are aborted live in the USA4 and Canada. In New Zealand in 2021 Voice for Life NZ reported a baby was alive for two hours after an abortion in a New Zealand hospital withheld medical assistance.
Senators Matt Canavan, Alex Antic and Ralph Babet want to stop this systemic, barbaric treatment with the Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022 they have introduced to federal parliament.
Their bill is described as 'A Bill for an Act to protect children born alive (including as a result of terminations), and for related purposes'.
CLICK HERE for Senator Canavan's 2nd reading speech on the Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022.
"The Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022 seeks to place a duty of care on medical practitioners to provide exactly the same medical care and treatment to a child born alive as a result of an abortion as they would a child born in any other circumstances.
Under this bill, breaching that duty would incur a penalty and there is a new obligation for medical practitioners to report to the Federal Department of Health on children born alive as a result of abortions."
The bill has now been referred to the Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs. Submissions on the bill are invited by 10 March 2023.
WHAT CAN I DO?
- Sign the petition set up by Senator Alex Antic.
- The goal is 50,000 signatures. So far, 17,000 have added their signatures.
- Write to your federal MP and Senators! Ask them to vote FOR the bill.
- Make a submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee.
- YOUR SUBMISSION DOES NOT NEED TO BE A THESIS. A HALF PAGE is sufficient.
If you are unable to upload your submission send it by email.
If you need assistance in writing your submission please contact our office on rtl@rtlaust.com or (03) 9385 0100
- YOUR SUBMISSION DOES NOT NEED TO BE A THESIS. A HALF PAGE is sufficient.
- Join Australian Christian Lobby’s webinar
- NEXT MONDAY EVENING 27 February 2023 designed to help you write a submission.
- Contact Senator the Hon Matthew Canavan (Qld) Senator Alex Antic (SA) and Senator Ralph Babet (Vic) and encourage them in their campaign to protect human life.
- Donate NOW to Right to Life Australia to assist us in working to pass this bill!
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1Professor Joanna Howe
2Registered Nurse,(PhD) counsellor and consultant
3De Costa C M. Feticide and late termination of pregnancy: an essential component of reproductive health care Med J Aust 2022; 217 (8): || doi: 10.5694/mja2.51727
4Charlotte Lozier Institute, Fact Sheet: Questions and Answers on Born-Alive Abortion Survivors