Deputy Premier Jackie Trad’s assertion at a pro-abortion rally on the weekend [Eds: Saturday, 21 July] that she is not campaigning for the right to abortion as late as 38 weeks contradicts the State Government’s bill, which allows for exactly that with a totally ineffective restriction against late-term abortion, according to Cherish Life Queensland.
“The truth is that this extreme bill would allow abortion on demand, no questions asked, to 22 weeks gestation - then from 22 weeks to birth a broad range of criteria would permit the destruction of viable babies of healthy mothers for ‘social’ reasons, including economic disadvantage and even sex selection,” Cherish Life executive director Teeshan Johnson said.
“If the Queensland Labor Government’s bill is passed, the number of late-term abortions definitely will rise, because of loose rules, expanded criteria and removal of any potential legal penalties on doctors.
“In recent years, almost half of the late-term abortions in Victoria, which has a similar so-called ‘limit’, have been performed on ‘psycho-social’ grounds.
Recent research by YouGovGalaxy showed that only 5% of Queensland voters support abortion after 23 weeks, with 73% opposed.
“Ms Trad is among the 5% of Queenslanders who agree with late-term abortion and she is trying to impose that extreme view on all Queenslanders through this barbaric legislation.”
At the rally, Ms Trad also was reported as saying that the Government’s abortion bill would “fix the last area of absolute discrimination against women”.
“As the Labor Government’s bill allows abortion for any reason, even sex selection of unborn female babies who are killed for the ‘crime’ of being a girl, this claim of stopping ‘discrimination against women’ is absurd,” Ms Johnson said.
“This bill is unnecessary, as under the current law, abortion is readily accessible in private clinics up to 20 weeks, and in public hospitals for foetal abnormalities or in rare cases where there is a serious danger to the mother’s health.
“With 14,000 terminations already in Queensland each year, the question must be asked: How many abortions are enough?”
ENDS