Health Minister misleads Parliament by covering up abortion rate blowout.
The Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath misled Parliament in Question Time on Tuesday [10/3] by claiming that the number of abortions had not risen since the passing of the Termination of Pregnancy Act in 2018.
Using just figures for surgical abortions, Ms D’Ath told Parliament: “That shows that the passing of this legislation has not led to an increase in the number of terminations.” (page 420 of Hansard on 10 March)
But the fact is the total number of abortions in Queensland including “medical” abortions caused by prescribed drugs has increased by 58% between 2018 and 2019. (see proof below)
In addition, almost 60% of all medical abortions in Australia in 2019 (the first year after the law change) were performed in Queensland, which has only 20% of Australia’s population.
The passing of Labor's extreme abortion-to-birth laws in fact has led to an abortion blow-out. This is deeply distressing and needs urgent attention.
PROOF
2018 - abortions in Queensland
9,297 Surgical abortions proof - Question on Notice #685 from Dr Mark Robinson MP
7,446 Medical abortions proof - 2018 PBS data on the abortion drug (item number 10211K*) obtained from Medicare, Queensland Health only records surgical abortions
2018 total: 16,743
2019 - abortions in Queensland
9,496 Surgical abortions proof - revealed on 10/3 in Parliament by Health Minister Yvette D'Ath (page 420)
17,087 Medical abortions proof - 2019 PBS data on the abortion drug* obtained from Medicare, Queensland Health only records surgical abortions
2019 total: 26,583
* Ref: Item Number 10211K = MIFEPRISTONE (&) MISOPROSTOL abortion drug
Cherish Life has called upon the Opposition Leader, LNP MPs and KAP MPs to urgently hold the Labor Government to account on this most serious issue, as well as taking the Health Minister to task for misleading Parliament.
The figures are so so so bad. Those poor little babies, and their neglected mothers. Our hearts break. It's hard to find words to explain the sorrow.
In some ways the abortion blowout is not surprising, as the Queensland Labor Government at every turn has effectively incentivised abortion over alternatives such as adoption. It even voted down an amendment to offer counselling to women considering abortion, and there are no informed consent laws for abortion in Queensland.
It's also terrible that Queenslanders had to wait 15 months to get a full data-set for surgical abortion rates for 2019 from Queensland Health. No doubt the Government didn't want the alarming numbers coming out before the October 2020 election.
Disappointingly, The Courier-Mail published this inaccurate report yesterday (11/3), based on the Health Minister’s misleading claim. We have asked for an urgent correction.
FAKE NEWS - The Courier-Mail article published yesterday (pictured above) was inaccurate
Despite the heart-break, attacks and set-backs, the fight for life must go on and increase in strength, as some of the worst opponents to life are in powerful places. Thank you for not giving up or tiring. If we don't keep fighting for the unborn, who will be their voice?