SW News:

Protect the personhood of unborn child. That is the message of the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher and the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, Archbishop Makarios in a letter dated January 29th. This plea is a response to the government of New South Wales’ consultation process on the exposure draft of the Crimes Legislation (Offences against Pregnant Women) Bill 2020. The Bill is intended to prevent crimes against pregnant women and unborn children by increasing the maximum punishment for offenses that result in the death of the unborn by at least 3 years. The draft reforms would mean that the name of lost unborn persons be "included on an indictment in the particulars of a criminal charge." However, the Bill fails to recognize the unborn child as a person, entitled to the legal protections of those already born. In the letter, bishops stated that "The campaign for law reform in the area of 'child destruction' law was to recognize that the death of an unborn child is not merely an injury to the mother of that child, but rather the loss of a human life; one whose presence is missed and mourned by those left behind." Urging the government to provide full legal recognition for the unborn, Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP and Archbishop Makarios concluded the letter by calling upon the government to "resist the powerful abortion lobby that sees any recognition of the existence of the unborn child as a threat to the unfettered availability of abortion up to birth."