Abortion rights

THE article in The Chronicle (Draft ruling threat to abortion rights) demonstrates that no passion has been lost in the 50-year battle that has raged in America and other countries since the USA landmark ruling by the Supreme Court overruled any laws in each of the states of that country in 1973.

If the ruling does overturn Roe vs Wade, it will give that control back to individual states to decide.

Some states of the USA had already passed laws allowing for abortion to birth and even past birth (infanticide) in an effort to circumvent what they had already anticipated happening.

That this is no exaggeration is evidenced by the fact that very recently, a group of people had acquired the bodies of five late-term abortion victims from outside an abortion facility, and handed them to the police.

The shocking injuries on most of these bodies were evidence that the methods used to kill them were violent.

Considering the fact that these babies, if born into different circumstances would be sent to neonatal intensive care units, it is time to reflect on where a “right to abortion” has taken not only America but Australia also.

Abortion in Australia is governed by the states and in 2018, the current Queensland government passed a law that allows abortion up until 22 weeks for any reason whatsoever, and after that for “current and future physical, psychological and social circumstances”. (Section 6(2) (b))

There is in fact no upper limit past which an abortion cannot be performed if two medical practitioners agree that it should occur.

With our current state of knowledge and ability to manage difficult circumstances surrounding pregnancy, it is a measure of our impoverishment as a society that this law was ever passed.

(Dr.) D. PURCELL, Toowoomba