Politics
Tuesday February 1, 2005
Australian PM Supports Church-Initiated Abortion Debate
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
CANBERRA, February 1, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he is not opposed to a renewed debate on abortion, as a coalition of 12 Church groups lobbied for restrictions on late-term abortions.
The coalition of Churches is calling for funding of a study to ascertain the physical and psychological effects of abortion. The group also wants to see an elimination of late-term abortions.
Responding to the Church’s call for renewed parliamentary debate on the issue, Howard said, “I think some of the ideas being put forward about providing people with assistance in relation to choices, I think they're good. It's good to look at the issues from a practical positive point of view rather than an argumentative one,” according to a Sydney Morning Herald report.
“You can't have a situation where every time someone expresses a view they are jumped upon from a great height,” Howard said. “This is Australia.”
The petition, signed by officials from Anglican, Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Buddhist, Hindu, Lutheran, Sikh, Salvation Army, Wesleyan and Seventh-Day Adventist churches asks for an end to late-term abortions committed on viable children older than 20 weeks.
The group has also asked that all women be informed of potential health risks, details of how the procedure is performed, the stage of development of the baby, and a mandatory cooling-off period of seven days for women who seek an abortion.
Senator Ron Boswell called on pro-life Health Minister Tony Abbott to initiate an inquiry into abortion, including a confirmation of the link between abortion and breast cancer and post-abortion syndrome, and reasons why women seek abortion.
Pro-life Women's Forum spokeswoman Melinda Tankard-Reist said, “There's a lot of concern at how far things have gone: abortion at 32 weeks, a baby who cried for 80 minutes after being aborted, babies' bodies being used in experiments. Some of the uglier aspects have got into the public consciousness.”
“Surely we should agree that no woman should have an unwanted abortion,” she said. “At 100,000 a year, it seems there are no boundaries or restrictions and no accountability of doctors that are doing it.”
Health Minister Tony Abbott said there was “now room for a public debate on abortion and let's see where the public debate for this goes.”
tv
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- BREAKING: US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 220 to 215
- Stupak Amendment to Health Care Bill Passes 240 - 194 Saturday Evening
- Major Health Care Development - Pro-Life Stupak Amendment Vote OK'd for Today
- NY Times: Dems Banking on Later Squeezing Pro-Life Language Out of Bill in Committee
- USCCB Spokesman: "Definitely Not True" that Bishops Support Bill As it Stands
- TIME Got it Wrong - Prof. George Opposed Grandiose Kennedy Funeral
- USCCB Condemnation Tears Facade off "Phony" Abortion Compromise for Health Bill
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholic Left
- Dirty Fighting on Abortion Funding: Word-Games and Health-Care Theatrics Boggle the Mind
- Commentary on November 6 News
- Note to LifeSiteNews Subscribers with Rogers email addresses
- New York Gov. Declares Nov. 10 Extraordinary Legislative Session for Same-Sex "Marriage"
- Washington's Pro-Family Amendment Effort Defeated - R-71 Almost Certain to Pass
- Vote Pushed Back on Canadian Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Bill to Dec. 2
- Elderly U.K. Couple in Good Health Commit Suicide, Complain of Assisted Suicide Law
- Texas Late-Term Abortionist and Baptist Minister Admits: "Am I killing? Yes, I am"
- New Evidence Contradicts CCHD's Findings on Accused Pro-Abortion Partner
- Quebec Priest Denies Possibility of Sexual Reorientation Therapy on TV
- New Hampshire Same-Sex "Marriage" Law in Crosshairs after Maine's Law Crumbles
- Brooklyn Bishop Criticized for Recorded Message Praising Pro-Abortion Politician
- First Group of "Traditionalist" Anglicans in Britain Votes to Enter Catholic Church
Most Read this Week
- Planned Parenthood Director Resigns after Watching Ultrasound of Abortion Procedure
- Nun Defiant Following Rebuke, but Stops Abortion Escorting
- Breaking: Dominican Community Apologizes for Nun Caught Acting as Abortion Escort
- Over 200 Christendom College Students Protest Abortion at Planned Parenthood Clinic
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholics Left
- Scottish Gay Rights Activists Found Guilty of Pedophilia Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
- Newly Identified Corporate Supporters of Planned Parenthood Named
- US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 218 to 215
- Major Health Care Bill Development - Stupak Hyde Amendment Vote OK'd
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.