Highlights from our newsletter

Many different groups of Australians are reminding governments of their responsibility to uphold the sanctity of life. Responding to the complexities at critical and terminal stages of life is difficult however, it is one thing to seek to relieve pain, but another to act to deliberately end a person’s life. As the following pastoral letter states “As a society we need to monitor the government’s fidelity to its promise to make the provision of quality and accessible palliative care a cornerstone of its commitment to end-of-life care.’ Download the letter Voluntary Assisted Dying (PDF).

For family members watching a loved one die, the experience can be agonising. However, with appropriate involvement of palliative care, the preparation and education of family members about the normal processes of dying (such as irregular breathing and fluctuating consciousness), and with the administration of pain relief, there is minimal physical suffering.

When a patient seeks assisted dying, it is often when they are first told they have a limited life expectancy and before they are truly unwell. They are so distressed by such difficult news that they anticipate what is to come and can be consumed with fear and an urge to gain control. They may respond by seeking assisted dying at a time of their choosing. In overseas jurisdictions where this is legal around 80 per cent of those who access it have cancer.

In spite of a very vigorous campaign to oppose the "Termination of Pregnancies Bill 2020"  passed the South Australian Legislative Council (Upper House) on Tuesday 2 March 2021 and will become law.Hansard reported that the motion was carried, without a vote.The Liberal Attorney-General Vickie Chapman who supported the bill claimed it was about giving women choice!

Walking hand in hand with my son Jesse on his first day of school, my heart filled with joy and pride at how far he had come. Jesse has overcome many difficult obstacles in his young life. After being diagnosed with a rare and fatal congenital heart disease at 20 weeks gestation, and undergone numerous cardiac surgeries, the most recent of which was just last year. I stood looking at him in awe, 'what a strong and resilient little boy I have been blessed with' I thought in that moment. I watched as the little boy who had been given little chance of survival walked into class, gave me a kiss and said goodbye as he happily joined his classmates. I could see the pride on each parent's face as they dropped off their children that day, but I was sure none was as proud as I was in that moment.

Queenslanders: Premier Palaszczuk is delaying consideration of euthanasia laws until next year giving us opportunity to express our opposition to euthanasia before the state election this year (31/10/2020). If you live in Queensland please contact your ONE MP especially LNP MPs. Write or phone their offices NOW! 

South Australians: Please contact your 1 Member of the Legislative Assembly where legislation is being debated which will ban our supporters from standing outside abortuaries, just offering help. Women need help to keep their babies, not abortions.  Exclusion zones give abortuaries greater access to target vulnerable women.

Tasmanians: A euthanasia bill sponsored by Independent MLC Hon Michael Gaffney looms large in Tasmania.  Contact both your MLA and MLCs as soon as possible to stop this bill in its tracks.  We are writing to you with their details.

Victorians should be aware of the huge harm being done by “the Age’ newspaper in relation to its enthusiastic endorsement of legalised physician assisted suicide in Victoria.  In the voluntary assisted dying review board’s inaugural 6-month report 52 people ended their lives between 19 June and 31 December 2020, with 81 permits to have lethal drugs administered!

Canberra Hospital can turn off life support for 20-week pregnant woman despite wishes of baby's father, court rules

Extract of Article - ABC news by Elizabeth Byrne 28 May 2020

The Canberra Hospital has turned off life support for a 20-week pregnant Canberra woman, despite frantic court action brought by the baby's father.

By Professor Sir William Liley (1929–83): NZ Perinatal Physiologist

US National Committee for a Human Life Amendment Inc. WASHINGTON D.C. 20036 (in 1974). The US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments held hearings on 7 May 1974 on proposed constitutional amendments to protect the unborn child. The full text of Dr. Liley's testimony submitted at that time is reproduced herein.

While New Zealanders are distracted by the alarm created by the COVID-19 virus, Jacinda Ardern's heinous Abortion Legislation Bill passed the NZ Parliament on 18 March 2020 with a vote of 68:51.

This occurred despite the fact that 91.6% of 25,718 submissions received by the Abortion Legislation Select Committee opposed the bill and thousands of New Zealand groups fought valiantly to prevent its passage.

Ken Orr, Spokesman, Right to Life New Zealand www.righttolife.org.nz stated (18/3/ 2020) "This represents an unprecedented attack on the family, on the status and dignity of women and on the right to life of New Zealanders in the first nine months of life." He continued "If today Parliament can deny the right to life of the unborn it will inevitably deny our right to life when we cease to be of value to the State. The passing of this anti-life Bill is a day of shame that will be recorded in the history of our Parliament. The killing of an innocent and defenceless unborn child has now been decriminalised and taken out of the Crimes Act where it has been since 1856. The State has withdrawn its protection of women and the unborn child, up to 20 weeks the State has no interest in protecting the lives of the weakest and most defenceless members of the human family."

Experts say embryos should not be treated as property

A dispute over a Sydney couple’s frozen embryos highlighted the fact that they are regarded as ‘property’ under the law.

Experts and pro-life advocates are calling for embryos to be regarded as persons under the law following recent court disputes.

This month a Sydney woman asked the Family Court of Australia to order the destruction of 11 embryos that were biologically linked to her same sex partner.