In Australia 2003, an estimated of 80,467a abortions occurred. Abortion laws in Australia have relaxed since 2003.
In UK on 2020: a total of 224, 697 abortions are reported (England and Wales: 210,860b; Scotland: 13,815c; Northern Ireland: 22*d)
In the US, an estimated 862,320 induced abortionse occurred in 2017.
Our AUKUS life pact with our UK and US pro-life friends is far more important in defending the defenceless than our AUKUS defence pact.
Here’s some encouraging news from our pro-life friends overseas:
UK – pro-life rally
4th of September, UK had their March for Life.
The crowd was dominated by young people, particularly women, from all walks of life and from many different cultures.
It was a far cry from the narrative of the abortion industry who try to claim that pro-lifers are all white men in their late fifties or older.
Highlight video of the rally: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrtRX2QsRnw
March for Life Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmUBF1SGVxQh9QPox8gZ8WQ
US – Texas heartbeat law
Despite strong disapproval from their own President and the Department of Justice, Texas stands strong for the lives of the unborn.
On 9th September 2021, Merrick Garland, the United States Attorney General, announced that the US Department of Justice will file a lawsuit to prevent the State of Texas from enforcing Senate Bill 8, which effectively banned abortions past 6 weeks of pregnancy.
Senate Bill 8 went into effect on 1st September 2021.
“The Act is clearly unconstitutional under longstanding Supreme Court precedent,” said Mr Garland1
President Biden himself said that the Texas abortion law: “almost creates a vigilante system” and that “it’s almost un-American”2 and an “unprecedented assault on a woman’s constitutional rights”3
But this lawsuit against Texas has been denied by a federal judge on the 16th of September.4
Australia – Zoom Life Conference
I attended this conference and heard many encouragements and challenges about abortion and euthanasia from key pro-life leaders:
Rebbecca Gosper (LifeChoice head manager and organiser of conference), Jenny Gurry (Founder of Diamond Women), Megan Best (Pro-life former palliative doctor), George Christensen (pro-life MP from Queensland) and Martin Iles (Australian Christian Lobby director).
I asked Mr Christensen on how we can reverse the abortion laws just like Texas did. My summary of his reply:
“What happened in Texas didn’t happen overnight. We change culture one step at a time. We need to make sure that those elected as our MPs reflect our views. Call your MPs and make an appointment with them – it doesn’t matter if you have to wait for 5 months. Campaign for pro-life MPs and hand out how to vote cards for them.”
We have a long way to go in Australia, especially with the current threat of assisted suicide legislation bearing on us.
But let’s take encouragement from our UK and US counterparts and keep up the work!
Make your voice known through the ballot box and your state/federal MPs!
*On 29 June 2017 it was announced that the UK government would fund abortion services
accessed in England and Wales by women who reside in Northern Ireland
Sources:
a https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mothers-babies/use-national-data-sets-reporting-induced-abortion/contents/table-of-contents
b https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2020/abortion-statistics-england-and-wales-2020
c https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/termination-of-pregnancy-statistics/termination-of-pregnancy-statistics-year-ending-december-2020/
d https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/news/northern-ireland-termination-pregnancy-statistics-201920
e https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states
1 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-texas-over-senate-bill-8
2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYYgXoE6GK4
Patrick – Member of Riverwood Punchbowl Anglican Church