Hypocrisy in Parliament

Federal Parliament has had a Clayton’s debate on abortion - that is, the abortion debate you have when you’re not having an abortion debate.

Hypocrisy reigned supreme as MP after MP asserted that the Bill to clear the way for the abortion pill RU486 to be introduced in Australia had nothing to do with the abortion issue - this new method was simply a technical matter best left to scientific and medical experts.

Many MPs who voted for the Bill proclaimed they were personally opposed to abortion, but obviously did not want to consider the social and ethical implications of condoning the 90,000 abortions performed each year in Australia for financial or social reasons.

This was a matter for the States, they said, ignoring the fact that, at least in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, the law still states that abortion is illegal except “for the preservation of the mother’s life”.

In 1969 and 1970, judicial rulings by Menhennitt in Victoria and Levine in NSW interpreted the law to make abortion in those states lawful where a continuation of the pregnancy presented a serious risk to the mother’s physical or mental health. Even though he followed these precedents, Justice Maguire in his ruling in a Queensland abortion trial in 1986, said: “There is no legal justification for abortion on demand … The law in this state has not abandoned its responsibility as guardian of the silent innocence of the unborn."

So we have judge-made law which has never been tested in higher courts and is not being enforced.

It is unfortunate that the reason a number of MPs voted to support the Bill against their consciences may have been that they were concerned about the supposed 60 per cent, 70 per cent or 80 per cent support for abortion as shown in various opinion polls over the years.

This apparent support for the status quo is a result of these polls skimming the surface of the issue and asking questions based on slogans such as “Do you support free, safe legal abortion on demand?” or “Do you support a women’s right to choose?” or “Do you believe that abortion should be a matter between a woman and her doctor?”

The issue is more complex than this. Most Australians do not see it as a black and white issue and therefore market research has to drill down with specific, objectively-worded questions to find out what the Australian public really believes.

Last month, the Australian Federation of Right to Life Associations released a 52-page report entitled What Australians Really Think About Abortion (pdf file 550KB), containing the results of a comprehensive national public opinion poll conducted last year by independent market research company Market Facts.

This telephone survey of 1,200 people shows that 51 per cent of Australians are opposed to abortions performed for financial or social reasons (with 39 per cent in favour) and 53 per cent are against Medicare funding of abortion in these circumstances (again with 39 per cent in favour). This means a majority of Australians are actually opposed to 98 per cent of all abortions performed in this country.

This groundbreaking research also shows that 78 per cent of Australians oppose Medicare funding of late-term abortions (past 20 weeks of pregnancy) and 67 per cent are against Medicare funding after the first trimester (13 weeks).

Although Medicare currently funds abortions to 26 weeks, 20 weeks is the earliest point at which survival outside the womb is possible with present technology and the age at which birth and death certificates are required by law.

Seventy-nine per cent of Australians believe abortion can harm the physical or mental health of a woman, possibly speaking from experience, as more than 2 million abortions have been performed in Australia in the past 35 years.

When asked, “Do you believe that, before having an abortion, a woman should receive free independent counselling and information on the development of her unborn child, the nature of the procedure, the physical and psychological risks of the operation and the alternatives of keeping the child or adoption, so she can make a fully informed decision?”, 95 per cent of Australians agreed.

Anecdotal evidence shows that the information and support offered to women who seek counselling from abortion clinics or pro-abortion counselling agencies has been sadly lacking. It seems women are not being told of risks of breast cancer, infertility and significant psychological trauma as a result of abortion. In any case, there is no real choice if only one choice is being promoted.

Yet the Federal Government has been funding pro-abortion counselling services to the tune of $13 million a year, compared with $400,000 a year now being given to pro-life pregnancy counselling services - which also offer post-abortion counselling to many grieving women.

Thankfully, Federal Cabinet last week announced a $51 million package proposed by the Health Minister, Tony Abbott, to provide a 24-hour advice hotline to pregnant women and professional independent counselling to women with unwanted or difficult pregnancies under a new Medicare item.

Recently, Family First Senator Steve Fielding called for the introduction of a cooling-off period of several days between making an appointment and having an abortion. This survey shows that 86 per cent of Australians agree with him.

Consumers are protected in this way when purchasing a house, a car, investments or even dating services, yet many women and girls who are pressured into having an abortion by their boyfriend, husband or parents have no such protection.

On the other hand, because many girls under 16 have abortions without their parents’ knowledge, 73 per cent of Australians are in favour of parental consent laws.

One of the more interesting aspects of the research is that it shows women are more pro-life than men, contrary to the impression that might have been gained from the fact that only 10 female MPs voted against the RU486 Bill.

No doubt the reason only 2 female Labor MPs courageously voted against their party policy is that the other 31 who supported the abortion pill are members of Emily’s List, to which they pledged support for pro-abortion legislation in return for election campaign funding.

This research complements and reinforces the findings of the national opinion poll released last year by Southern Cross Bioethics Institute, which found that 87 per cent of Australians want the number of abortions reduced and 71 per cent want greater public discussion on the issue. Significantly, this survey of 1,200 people conducted by the independent Sexton Marketing Group also found that only 15 per cent of Australians believe that abortion is a moral choice when both mother and baby are healthy.

Let us hope that as the debate continues, Governments can implement creative social policies to help women with unplanned or problem pregnancies cope with financial and social pressures so they can avoid unwanted abortion and choose to have their children.

Women deserve better than abortion.