Patrick Gill and his wife Faye married in Dublin but actually moved to Australia from Wales in 1988.

Patrick was always a devout Catholic and very committed to the Pro-Life cause.  Faye didn’t convert to Catholicism until after their first son was born.  Their marriage was long and over the journey they had five children.

Patrick was a member of the Parliamentary Ethical Committee in London where he raised the abortion issue wherever possible. He also wrote countless letters to newspapers in defence of human life and continually challenged his work colleagues on the issue of life.

After arriving in Perth, it wasn’t long before Patrick began working with Peter O’Meara from the Right to Life Association of WA. As a Doctor Patrick provided a lot of information from a medical perspective and was also guest speaker at many meetings.

But his real challenge came through his work as a Radiologist where he was required to provide the baby’s age using ultrasound scanning in order to facilitate abortion procedures. This represented a tremendous ethical dilemma for him and he simply refused to do it – which of course put him in conflict with his colleagues.  It meant that there were places he could not get work and many times he had to travel interstate as a locum in order to earn a living. The strain affected his health and his earning capacity, but still he remained true to his Christian, Pro-Life faith.

As often as he could Patrick would let Mums see the scan of their babies in utero.  He would show them the little heart beating and the arms and legs moving. Many of them were filled with emotion and did not proceed with their abortion*

 Faye’s  first exposure to abortion was the controversial film ‘Alfie’ which was released in the late 1960s and shocked many people. As the years have gone by many things have become clear to her and she recognises how gradually liberalising attitudes have led to the terrible things that are occurring today. Faye supported her husband and shared his passion for pro- life. Even today she still helps out at the Right to Life Association of WA office whenever she can and continues to feel the joy and preciousness of human life.

Patrick and Faye’s fourth child was a girl they named Lauren. She was found to have multiple and severe disabilities including heart problems and she is deaf and blind. Yet with the devotion of her parents she has grown to adulthood and lives with Faye (Patrick passed away in 2018).  Lauren communicates with her Mum by signing, fingerspelling and braille, and God has shown his miraculous hand many times during Lauren’s life. She has been a source of love and inspiration for the many people who know her and remains the light in her Mum’s day.

Abortion was never a consideration for Patrick and Faye when Faye was pregnant with Lauren. They have always felt that Lauren and all babies are a gift from heaven. * The current practice at abortion clinics in Australia is not to show mothers the ultrasound scan of their baby prior to an abortion. The rationale is that it might be stressful for them.