In a tragic day for Victoria and for unborn children, the State’s Upper House today voted to pass the Abortion Law Reform Bill 2008 by 23 votes to 17.

This means that the move to decriminalise abortion in Victoria – with all its terrible consequences – has effectively passed its last major hurdle. Please click here for more details.

Attention now turns to up to 70 amendments which are to be debated in the Upper House and, if passed, could lessen some of the damage inherent in the bill.

The amendments are understood to include a ban on partial birth abortions, changes to the conscientious objection clause, and a reduction in the period abortion on demand would be freely available from 24 weeks gestation to 20 weeks (along with the requirement for a panel review after that period rather than just the agreement of two doctors).

Another avenue for hope is the call made this week by the ‘Doctors in Conscience Against Abortion Bill’ group for the Prime Minister to intervene to prevent the passage of the abortion bill so that Australia avoids breaching its treaty obligations and upholds the human rights contained in the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights 1996. ACL is supporting this call, which focuses on the way the bill would force doctors to act in violation of their conscientious beliefs by actively assisting patients to obtain an abortion. Click here for more details.

Therefore the fight continues despite the blow from today’s vote. A heartening note is the great deal of good work and effective opposition to the bill which has been carried out by many Christians, pro-life politicians, and assorted groups, ranging from the 3,000 people who gathered on the steps of Parliament House on Sunday to oppose the bill to the two Upper House politicians who spoke against the bill for hours on end last night with the aim of delaying the vote.

Our Victorian Director Rob Ward has been in the thick of it all, speaking at many different protest meetings, lobbying politicians and working behind-the-scenes.

While we must all feel saddened at the deeper moral malaise that has allowed the bill to pass in principle, we can take hope from the number of dedicated people willing to fight this malaise and stand up for unborn children. It is important that we continue to pray and lobby for the key amendments to be passed.

For more information contact Lyle Shelton 0448 602 878.

Chief of Staff
Australian Christian Lobby
Canberra, Australia

Tel: (02) 6259 0431

Fax: (02) 6259 0462

Mob: 0448 602 878

www.acl.org.au