PERTH, WA: July 20, 1989
Registered by Australia Post Publication No. WAR 0202
Number 2645
School children with a heart • Page 13
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Sha Archbishop Foley, says: Those who see the recent decisions in the US Supreme Court or the Brisbane Family Court as opportunities to foment the push for easier abortion legislation will only harden the heart of Australia towards its unborn.
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Australia that is today cryipg out for its popula-
tion of tomorrow will travel down a dangerous path if the community conscience is encouraged to pay such scant attention to its unborn. Present arguments are not truly a debate between the right of a mother against those of the unborn child because the scales today are weighted disastrously against the unborn. Whatever language we
PRICE 60C Two West Australian bishops stepped into the Abortion Law debate last week and lashed out at those who were trying to push for easier abortion laws. And although Archbishop Foley of Perth and Bishop Hickey of Geraldton issued statements ahead of the mooted discussion of the matter at the ALP conference, their remarks were not used in any medium. Following the conference the ALP has signalled its intention of decriminalising abortion in WA. Today we publish the statements of both bishops.
use to try and minimise, ridicule Or depersonalise the new foetus, eventually attacks ourselves. Not one of us now walking this earth and claiming full human rights was not at one time a similar defenceless creature entitled to the love and protection of our mothers and fathers. The rising generations of Australians are being
cheated if the carping propaganda of proabortionists weakens the instinctive moral concern that all humans — fathers as well as mothers — must have towards their young, if the moral health of the nation is to survive. Australia cannot be proud of the 60,000 lives being squandered heartlessly each year while side by side the most
US Supreme Court decision Bishop Barry Hickey says:
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Bishop Hickey
I was alarmed to hear the views of the WA Premier on freer access to abortion. Such a policy will inevitably lead to the cheapening of human life and to long-term distress for women who have been so tragically misled about abortion and its consequences. The Government should endeavour to give some legal standing and protection to human life in the womb. It seems to have none at present. I know legislation can do little by itself. What we need is a profound
expensive technology in maternity hospitals battles for the survival of just one infant, and rightly so. The UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child calls on Australia like any other nation to provide full care to its children both the unborn and the born. Any widening of abortion legislation will be in contradiction of that pledge.
BISHOPS HAVE SAY ON THE ABORTION ISSUE
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change of heart, to turn us away from the present descent into barbarism where unborn life means nothing. hope other Church leaders will join with me in the defence of human life, and direct their energies towards removing the pressures that make women turn to abortion. My close association with the work of two Pregnancy Help organisations has convinced me that there are alternatives to any situation, however stressful, and that what women need is tremendous love and support during and after pregnancy, not Job's counsellors.
Archbishop Foley
Divided on abortion issue Delegates to the ALP c onference last weekend were told that notwithstanding official party statements on the matter, there was strong opposition to abortion in the party just as there was in the community. "We as political animals Should 'note that there is serious and fundamental division on this issue," said Mr Mark Bishop,
secretary of the Shop Assistants' Union. "It is an issue that will continue to divide the community." Mr Bishop said the people of WA have a right to know that the ALP and its members are divided on the issue, that many of its members have opposed and will oppose the legalisation of abortion.
It is believed that 12 ALP parliamentarians will use their entitlement to a conscience vote to cross the floor on any proposed legislation. Legislative Assembly members opposed to abortion measures are said to be Keith Wilson, David Smith, John Kobelke, Ted Cunningham, and Nick Catania.
Another six are said to be in the Upper House. Anti-abortion campaigners in the party say it is now up to Liberal parliamentarians to give them further support in any such vote. Mr Bishop said reasons he had solicited from those opposed to abortion ranged over theology, philosophy, ethics and electoral considera-
tions but all were underpinned by respect for human life from its inception. He attacked a television news statement at the weekend that human life began only after a full term of nine months. "From the one central thesis that life begins at or shortly after conception flows the logical
argument against the destruction of that human life except where the life of the mother is legitimately endangered by continuing to carry the foetus." He said if human life did not begin at this time the embryo or foetus was being given no more significance than a tonsil or appendix.
He said that all other arguments about abortion only for rich women, backyard abortion, women's right to choose, financial inconvenience and lack of partner support were secondary or ancillary and deserved to be rebutted in the debate on the motion of the party's health committee.
Plea to ACT on porn videos The National Catholic Education Commission has called upon the Federal and ACT G overnments to respond to the call from bishops and other concerned citizens for a repeal of laws allowing the import, classification and availability of
pornographic videos for distribution in and from the Australian Capital Territory, the only part of the counallowing try distribution. Chairman of the c ommission, Gerry Gleeson, said that he had written to the
Attorney General, Lionel Bowen, whose government could prevent the import of t he material into Australia. Common"The wealth, we understand, has also retained legislative and executive power over classifications for
censorship purposes in the Territory, although the selfgovernment Act gives Rosemary Follett's the government power to control its availability," he said.
Minister to ask her government to play its part and come into line with the states and the Northern Territory which all now deny availability."
"I have therefore also written to the Chief
Mr Gleeson said that public policy which either promoted or
facilitated commercial dealings for profit in films and videos that depict matters of sex, cruelty and violence in a manner that is likely to cause offence to reasonable persons is questionable to say the Nast. "When we know
that pornographic videos are coming into the hands of young people, any policy or law which allows that to happen must be condemned," he said, "and governments must cooperate in an endeavour to prevent this happening."