The Australian Medical Association Qld (AMAQ) has been criticised by the pro-life organisation Cherish Life Queensland for endorsing the extreme late-term Termination of Pregnancy Bill, without surveying its membership beforehand.

“Before the AMAQ’s management gave its support to the Termination of Pregnancy Bill, it failed to survey the membership’s view on this extreme legislation. There was no broad consultation, so AMAQ members were presented with a deadly fait accompli,” Ms Teeshan Johnson, executive director of Cherish Life Queensland, said.

“Imposing this policy reportedly has caused waves within the AMAQ membership base, as many doctors do not agree with legalising abortion on request up to 22 weeks gestation, and then from 22 weeks until birth for criteria including socioeconomic reasons subject to a second doctor’s approval. There is also no legal penalty for not getting a second doctor’s approval.”

“Many doctors also are unhappy that this extreme late-term abortion Bill fails to provide medical professionals with full conscientious objection protection. Doctors with a conscientious objection will be compelled to refer for abortion, and therefore be complicit in an abortion.”

Modern day health practice is based largely upon science. This bill ignores the weight of knowledge about prenatal development, including the ability to feel pain from an abortion, and sets an arbitrary limit of 22 weeks before which the preborn is denied any protection, and after that, it is negotiable. Thus we will have the tragic paradox that a hospital can be saving premature babies at great expense on one floor, and killing them on another.

“The AMAQ in supporting this Bill are also putting pregnant women at risk. The Bill contains no safeguards for women against abortion coercion such as independent counselling nor informed consent conditions which are a standard duty of care in other procedures. The Bill ignores the body of evidence about abortion coercion and the physical and psychological risks of abortion to women.

“This Bill is modelled on the 2008 Victorian law which has seen a doctor censured for not referring for a sex-selective abortion at 19 weeks gestation, and has led to a 39% increase in late-term abortions since the law was passed. The AMA is opposed to sex selection abortions, but has failed to understand that at least up until 22 weeks, no reason is required to be provided to secure a legal abortion.

“Almost half of the late-term abortions in Victoria have been for ‘psycho-social’ reasons, with healthy babies from healthy mothers – including one full-term baby in 2011- and many viable babies who would have survived if birthed and provided with care. The question must be asked: Why is the AMAQ promoting this abortion-to-birth culture, even for late-term and full-term babies?”

For all these reasons, the AMAQ has seemingly abandoned the first principle of medicine, which is to do no harm, and has allowed itself to become a voice for the abortion lobby. It is also worth noting that AMAQ membership is 28% of Queensland doctors. This is not representative of the states’ doctors, and probably does even represent its own membership base on this matter.

Cherish Life Queensland has called on the Queensland Parliament Health Committee to seriously consider the evidence it provided in its submission and at last week’s hearings on the Termination of Pregnancy Bill that late-term abortions of healthy babies of healthy mothers have occurred in Victoria as late as over 37 weeks gestation, which is regarded as full-term.

“It was very concerning that the committee seemed unaware of the evidence provided in our submission about the increase in late-term abortions in Victoria since the passing of the Abortion Law Reform Act in 2008 which decriminalised abortion in Victoria,” Cherish Life executive director Teeshan Johnson said.

“There was an average increase of 98 late-term abortions per year in Victoria since decriminalisation of abortion in late 2008, a 39% jump.¹

“Since Jackie Trad’s Bill is almost a mirror image of the Victorian law, this is an extremely important warning for Queensland.

“That’s nearly two extra late-term babies being killed each week. Before decriminalisation there were almost five late-term abortions per week in Victoria, and since decriminalisation there have been about seven late-term abortions per week on average.

“Almost half of late-term abortions performed in recent years in Victoria have been performed for reasons other than foetal abnormality or health of the woman or the child. In other words, healthy babies of healthy mothers are aborted legally under the Victorian Abortion Reform Act, on which the Queensland Termination of Pregnancy Bill is modelled.

“In 2011 in Victoria, a healthy baby of a healthy mother was aborted for ‘psycho-social’ reasons at over 37 weeks' gestation² – this is regarded as a full-term baby.

“In that same year, 10 healthy viable babies of healthy mothers between 28 and 31 weeks gestation also were aborted for ‘psycho-social’ reasons in Victoria.”

Ms Johnson said the committee just seemed to be going through the motions in reviewing Deputy-Premier Jackie Trad’s Bill, with a pre-determined decision that the majority is working towards.

“There has been a bias towards supporters of the Bill who were favoured in time and representation, with just 40% of the total time across the three public hearings given to pro-life witnesses, and 60% to pro-abortion or pro-choice witnesses.

“This bias was even more pronounced in the selection of expert witnesses, with 10 pro-abortion doctors up against just two pro-life doctors, one invited pro-life obstetrician not being allowed to speak, and six lawyers supporting the Bill compared with just two lawyers who opposed certain aspects. The only pregnancy counselling service called to give evidence was one which promotes abortion.

“It seems the majority of committee members were more interested in exploring our ideological positioning, in what felt like a bid to polarise or discount our evidence, than seriously considering our submission on why the Termination of Pregnancy Bill should not be passed, which included proof of an increase of almost 40% in late-term abortions following decriminalisation of abortion in Victoria 10 years ago.

“The tight time frame will mean the Health Committee will not be able to properly consider the 6,200 public submissions it has received before it is due to report to Parliament on 5 October.

“The fact that this is more than twice the number of submissions for the two inquiries into the Pyne abortion Bills of 2016 shows the level of community concern about Jackie Trad’s extreme abortion Bill. As 85% of submissions to the Pyne Bill inquiries were opposed, it is a safe assumption that the vast majority of the submissions received this time also would be against Ms Trad’s brutal Bill.”

APPENDIX 1

Gestational ranges of perinatal deaths (VICTORIA) from 2009-2015 for maternal psycho-social indications only - non-medical reasons, healthy babies to healthy mothers

From Victorian Maternal, Perinatal, Child and Adolescent Mortality statistics, The Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity

See also Victorian Late-Term Abortions table 2000-2016

APPENDIX 2

Comparison Table

Inquiries: Contact Cherish Life Qld executive director Teeshan Johnson