How Can It Happen?

by Andrew Lord

There are many issues in our society that are often swept under the carpet. Usually these are regarded as 'too sensitive' to bring up in general conversation and are left to the passionate zealots to push their views from their soap boxes on street corners... or in parliament.
In such a climate, an 'Emperors New Clothes Syndrome' easily develops and remains until the still small voice of innocence from within points out the folly of our ways. Only then can we see the truth.

This seems to have happened in Australia, in Victoria as new abortion law reform is being passed. Abortion. Even the word causes us to cringe in either defensiveness or repulsion, but rarely does it provoke constructive and open conversation. This is understandable. The termination of a pregnancy is by its nature an extremely emotionally charged issue.
Up until the recent reform bill in Victoria, abortion in Australia was technically illegal. The 20,000 abortions each year were currently carried out via a Supreme Court legal loophole that gives exception to the law when the pregnancy is considered to endanger the emotional or physical well-being of the mother. “Data on late abortions performed in Victoria in 2005 shows that not a single abortion was performed because of any danger to the mother’s physical health.” (Guy Barnett, 2008)

I am not about to claim that the issue of abortion is ever straight forward or uncomplicated. In the imperfect world in which we live, there are always going to be complex issues of rape and abuse, however as a Kindred community who believe in the sanctity of birth and the very real and very evident spiritual nature of our unborn children, we must question how and why is our society heading down this road?

The recent reform bill in Victoria, requested by Premier Brumby to “modernise the law” now allows a termination to take place for “any reason” decided by the mother up to 24 weeks. I remember feeling our daughter kick and tap at my hand over and over as I rested it on my partners swollen belly at 22 weeks. We wondered at her personality and what names we would choose to suit. Her conception was 'unplanned' and a surprise to say the least. Busy home-schooling and looking after 3 other children coupled with the uncertainty of a failing business, we wondered how we going to cope. Despite this, as our midwife placed the doppler on Sofia's belly and we listened in awe to her rapid heart beat pumping blood to her tiny limbs, we somehow found the optimism to believe (or at least hope) that all would be OK. I guess we had the luxury of experience, knowing that there is somehow, a magical grace for parents that comes to those who simply give their best.

We chose not to have the routine 19-week ultra-sound for our last 2 children, but for our first 2 we did. I remember our first experience very clearly. It is almost 7 years since we held hands and gazed wide-eyed at the tiny shifting greyscale image on a monitor in front of us. There was no doubt in my mind that at that point we had a child. Her movements, her sounds, even her very presence assured me that she was 'there'. She was real. She was alive in her own right. I can only imagine at how much more true this is with the mother. With these memories still vivid after 7 years, I now choke up at the thought of a doctor, someone who swore an oath to “do no harm” removing a child unwillingly from their womb for reasons as flippant as financial difficulty.  

The new abortion reform bill then goes even further to allow pregnancies to be terminated “at any time in the pregnancy” for reasons agreed upon by two medical practitioners. “Most late-term abortions were prompted by foetal abnormalities” (Dr Pescoe, 2008)  Reasons for aborting may be as simple as cleft pallet/lip, down syndrome or dwarfism. How can this be? Cleft pallet is easily correctable by surgery and as for the other “abnormalities”, should they survive to adulthood, they can fight for (and easily win) the rights in society that the rest of us all enjoy. Why then are they denied the right to life as babies in the womb?  25 weeks, 30 weeks, 38 weeks – there is no distinction in the Abortion Reform Bill so long as it is agreed upon by “two medical professionals”. It is realistic to consider that there could be a distinction of just days or even hours between whether terminating a life is legal or a crime of murder.

Late term abortion also pose new dilemmas for the medical profession given that a foetus is fully formed at 24 weeks. Under the existing legislation, 15% of all late term abortions were delivered alive and simply left to die. This is perhaps the least appalling of all the late term procedures. With 'Dilation & Extraction' the “foetus” (remember older than 24 weeks) is dismembered within the womb using forceps and then extracted by suction. During 'Intact Dilation and Extraction' the labour is induced. The foetus is turned to present breach. Then the legs/arms/torso is delivered – all except the head. (If the head was delivered, this would then constitute a birth) The head is then punctured at the base of the skull resulting in death. Its brains are then sucked out to allow the skull to collapse and the head to be delivered with less difficulty. This barbaric procedure has been outlawed in the US. It is described as "a gruesome and inhumane procedure that is never medically necessary." (Partial Abortion Ban Act 2003) Despite an attempts to amend the abortion reform bill to at least stop this type of abortion, the bill has been passed without amendment. It is expected to become law in Victoria by the end of 2008.

Have we really lost touch with the miracle of pregnancy and birth? Has our view of pregnancy really degenerated so far to a “medical condition” rather than a blessed and emotionally rich state. Do we view our unborn child as little spirits waiting to fully enter this world, or are they just a dolly that we will 'love' and dress up and play with – or dispose of if they are 'broken'.

Yes there is so much legal grey area when two people begin to share the one body. Perhaps the black and white nature of the law will never be able to adequately distinguish the way forward? Perhaps this reform may serve to awaken our social conscience to the harsh reality of what we are already allowing to take place? One thing is sure and that is the new law reform in Victoria that allows abortions up to 24 weeks for any reason and unrestricted late term abortions with medical consent, does nothing to strengthen our community. It is actually counter-productive to a community that supports and embraces difference and diversity. It blindly pursues an ideology of “free-choice” without giving any thought to the grisly reality of what is taking place in the process. It fiercely declares “men should not be telling women what to do with their bodies" (MP John Pandazopolous) And in so doing undermines the value of birth, family and of life itself.

Our unborn children need our help and protection. This is an issue that should not be swept under the carpet any longer. While we so often see the statistic, that 1 in 3 babies are delivered by caesarean, and wonder at the present and future implications of this, we must also realise that for every one of those [caesarean] babies, there is another. One that was never given the opportunity even to be born. Surely we must also wonder at the present and future implications of this...

References
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/bill/alrb2008219/
http://www.guybarnett.com/Pages/Article.aspx?ID=237
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intact_dilation_and_extraction
http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=8636
AHIW Report, December 2005 estimates 84,218 abortions per year not including miscarriage 

http://www.aihw.gov.au/mediacentre/2005/mr20051214.cfm