Law protects women by guarding innocent unborn

The existing Queensland law against abortion has a vital educative role. It instructs society as to the seriousness of this form of intentional killing, while the removal of abortion from the criminal law would tell society that stopping the beating heart of an innocent pre-born baby - a unique, precious and irreplaceable person with potential - is morally trivial.

Decriminalisation inevitably would increase the number of abortions. If something is legalised, you get more of it, not less – as occurred with pokies and brothels after these were legalised in Queensland.

In evidence to the first inquiry, Dr Carol Portman, former director of maternal and foetal medicine at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, now a private obstetrician who performs mid-term abortions as part of her practice,estimated that decriminalisation would increase the proportion of abortions done by public hospitals from 2% currently to "20 to 25%", no doubt mainly because they would be free.

More abortions would hurt more women. With every abortion, the toll is one dead, one wounded.

There is overwhelming evidence about the serious physical and psychological effects of abortion on women. Most women are not being fully informed of these risks, so they cannot make a free and informed choice.

To the extent that the law, in the words of Justice Maguire, is the "guardian of the silent innocence of the unborn", it protects women too.

Abortion is a "quick-fix" medical solution to a social problem, which creates many more difficulties than it solves. In the 21^st century, just as in the past, women deserve better than abortion.