Written by Steve Klomp, President, Right to Life Association of WA
“A baby boy was delivered alive during an abortion at 21-plus weeks. He moved vigorously, gasped for breath, and had a palpable heart rate… This baby fought for his life for 5 hours before taking his final breath.”
Sounds chilling? Terrible? Unthinkable?
Actually, it happens to one child in Australia every seven days.
Queensland midwife Louise Adsett gave evidence at a parliamentary inquiry in Queensland. She gave a distressing example of a mother who decided to abort her baby at more than 21 weeks. She said, ‘The process took all day, and the baby was only delivered during the early hours of a night shift … This baby moved vigorously, gasped for breath and had a palpable heart rate to make it clear this baby was alive. … This baby boy fought for his life for five hours before taking his final breath. This is not an uncommon occurrence.’ Fighting back her tears, she added, ‘These babies deserve better. They deserve to have the same rights that all us human beings have.’ Unwanted, unacknowledged, unloved.
Reference: Hansard, Tuesday 20th August 2024, p.38
These children are born alive after ‘failed’ late term abortions – and allowed to die with no help, not even any comfort.
Senator Ralph Babet (United Australia Party, Victoria) introduced this motion as a matter of urgency onto the floor of the Australian Senate on Tuesday 20th August 2024:
The need for the Senate to recognise that at least one baby is born alive every 7 days following a failed abortion and left to die, and that Australia’s health care system is enabling these inhumane deaths; and for the Senate to condemn this practice, noting that babies born alive as a result of a failed abortion deserve care”.
Despite the clear evidence of mistreatment of an Australian citizen, a human being at his most vulnerable, the Babet motion was defeated with 32 votes against the motion and only 14 votes in support.
Hard to believe isn’t it? Even harder to believe that four Liberal Senators voted against the bill. One of them, newly elected Maria Kovacic from NSW, was particularly scathing in her opposition, centring her argument on whether it was indeed an urgent motion, rather than the motion itself.
In all there are 76 Senators in Australia, with twelve from each state and two from each mainland Territory. Only 50 Senators were present in the Chamber on Tuesday 20th August 2024. Of the missing 26, Liberal Senator Alex Antic from South Australia was legitimately absent from the Senate on the day in question. The other 25 were absent and therefore did not vote. That, in itself, is disturbing.
Of the 50 who were present, 36 opposed the motion, including these five (description removed following legal advice) Senators from Western Australia:
So what are you going to do about this? How much longer are you going to put up with what is being done in our name? Isn’t it time you joined the fight for Life?
Some background on this decision you may wish to consider:
Politicians and health professionals who refuse to support basic medical care for children born alive after a ‘failed’ abortion seem to have the attitude:
“if the mother wants a dead baby, then the dead baby is what she shall get”.
But does the refusal by doctors and other health professionals to provide basic medical care to a baby born alive from a failed abortion amount to “murder”? And are elected Parliamentary Representatives aiding and abetting such “murder” when they refused to support the provision of basic medical care for these children?
I am not a lawyer, and I’m not providing legal advice, but here are a few sections from the WA Criminal Code Act 1913, Sections 269, 270 and 271, that perhaps need to be considered.
This part removed following legal advice.