(This thread touches on one of the issues discussed on the “Are we really pro-life?”, where the biblical matter received a fairly thorough turning over, whereas my interest in this thread is more to do with how to we try to resist what seems not just a slide but rather a stampede into the culture of death)

I don’t want to be too gloomy, but there are a number of very concerning issues on in Victoria at present, which are likely to spill over into the other states.

This forum is a great site for debate, exchange of ideas, etc. However there is also this issue of trying to impact public debate and to bring a Christian voice to bear and actually this needs to be done at a political level. I wonder if there would be any interest in exploring this aspect on this thread?

Unfortunately with matters like euthanasia, abortion, single women/lesbian access to IVF, surrogacy (where a child can have to 5 parents), it is only the Christian constituency and chiefly the “non ethnic” proportion, and then only a portion of that remaining constituency that is prepared to actually lobby for the culture of life. That is my concern.

The current issues in Victoria are:

1. Euthanasia

The Medical Treatment (Physician Assisted Dying) Bill 2008 gets its third reading in the Upper House on the 25th June and our Australian Christian Lobby Victorian representative says the vote is going to be tight. If it passes in Victoria, it will come to your state before too long. It is not a Government bill and the Government may choose not to allow it time in the lower house but we believe the support will be stronger in the lower house.

What is being done? Local churches and their people are contacting their local MPs by email, letter, phone calls visits to member’s offices (how much actually happens I don’t know), the ACL man is in talking to the politicians, Dr Hart, the Catholic A/B is doing his thing and an Ad Hoc Inter Faith Committee of which I’m part is placing an open letter to Victorian Parliamentarians in The Age and the Herald Sun this coming Saturday. Despite this activity much of the church and its people is like the general population – not prepared to get involved. Actually some portions of the church are no help at all and here I refer to, for example, The Social Responsibilities Committee of Melbourne Diocese. 

I don’t believe euthanasia is an issue that will go away, given the fading Christian understanding in the broader Australian community. For the Australian pagan, death is the grim reaper with no hope-filled prospect to follow. On the contrary, in Christianity we live with the prospect of redemption, present as well as future, and therefore the hope of resurrection with body and soul united together as with Christ, thus we followers of our Lord Jesus are alive and ever hopeful, even in death. The unbeliever without hope in prospect will seek to end his/her life under his/her own terms.

2.  Decriminalisation of Abortion

Two weeks ago the long awaited report of the Law Reform Commission on the Decriminalisation of Abortion was tabled in the Victorian Parliament. Whilst not yet having waded through all of the 190 page report I can say from a culture of life perspective that it is a very disappointing report, and will do nothing to reverse the culture of death that stalks our post 1960’s culture. In fact the recommendations are quite shocking. None of the health issues for women received any consideration nor the fact that it is a human life that is being ended. In particular, in direct refutation of many submissions from Christian groups, recommendations 4, 5, 6 and 7 read as follows:

4. Any new abortion law should not contain mandated information provisions.
5. Any new abortion law should not contain a requirement for mandatory counselling or mandatory referral to counselling.
6. Any new abortion law should not contain a compulsory delay or cooling-off period before an abortion may be lawfully performed.
7. Any new abortion law should not contain restrictions on where abortion procedures may be performed. Existing health regulation is sufficient.

These are all measures that whilst not stopping abortions, would at the very least reduce the numbers occurring and offer support to a woman considering an abortion.

The LRC is also quite explicit in what was not under review, including, inter alia, “nor have we been asked to make judgments about the ethical and philosophical arguments concerning abortion”. This plus the fact that the Commission was asked for proposals for the decriminalisation of abortion shows how biased the Government’s request to the LRC was against any consideration of the pros and cons of abortion and what to do about reducing the numbers of abortions and the damage done to the mental and physical health of the women concerned. Rather, the LRC’s report demonstrates the Government’s only concern to be eliminating any legal threat to doctors performing abortions.

Even the one concession recommended that doctors be not required to perform abortions is a two edged sword for they will be required to provide a referral to a doctor who will. What happened to freedom of conscience?

There is to be a month long consultation period for the two ministers given responsibility to draft Government legislation, and hopefully Christian groups will put in a submission – the PCV will do so

(As an aside it is very difficult, given skimpy resources, to make submissions when there are so many hares up and running)

But how to apply sufficient pressure into the system and will there be a sufficient groundswell? The Ad Hoc Inter Faith Committee decided to try and run a debate between experts - pro life pro choice for the benefit of the politicians but not one pro choice person agreed to debate – but why would they when the LRC gives them what they want?

I could go on to talk about upcoming legislation to extend IVF treatments to lesbians and single women, a challenge under Victoria’s Charter of Rights and Responsibilities to the exception clauses in the Equal Opportunity Act that provide relief to churches and their agencies, schools, etc on employment requirements, etc, etc.

1. So how can Christians better engage in the public debate over ethical issues?
1a How do we become better informed on the issues of the day?
2. What role for ministers, members of congregations, denominational leadership in the culture wars?
3. Or, should we even bother and just concentrate on church life?
4. How to support/enhance the role of ACL?

Any thoughts about practical measures? I have some but would be interested to hear from others first.

OK I know this thread sunk w/o trace and plenty is on but there are some big local issues out there with significant flow on effects.

Aside from Gafcon watching and more mundane things, and alas a (temporary) cessation to my atheism project, I have an article up today on OnLine Opinion on euthanasia (which is possibly hair’s breath away from happening in Victoria) and there will be another one next Tuesday on Victorian plans to decriminalise abortion (which in truth is going to happen).

Anyone can comment on articles posted on Online Opinion, though you do need to register.

On tuesday I attended this dinner, where two siblings of Terri Schiavo spoke on their experiences concerning her case, and Dr Brian Pollard spoke on medical ethics concerning Euthanasia.

For our NSW readers, I heartily recommend the NSW Right to Life Association as an organisation broadly (encompassing people from all walks of life), sensitively and pragmatically dedicated to fostering a culture to protect the inherent dignity of human life through its natural course.  While we do have our limitations, your input may be vital in improving things.

By way of disclosure, I’m the Treasurer of its Inner-West (Sydney) Branch.

Today my article on abortion in relation to the Victorian Law Reform Commission’s report on options for decriminalising abortion has been posted on Online opinion:

One of my conclusions is that the report has been written for the benefit of the abortion industry and certainly not for the woman or the unborn child she carries.

I imagine most posters on this forum think abortion a bad thing and at one abortion for every three live births (yes, you read me correctly) there is far too many of them. However a colleague in Melbourne was saying that ringing around the Kingston (SE Melbourne) Pastors Network he found there was a disappointing number of UCA and Anglican ministers not bothered by the subject at all.

The issue with abortion for many women presenting (but by no means all) is that with the 1960’s breakdown in the taboo, “no sex before marriage” (OK, not always honoured but failure to honour was understood to be a BAD THING), and the failure of men to make commitments, girls get caught carrying an unintended, unwanted bundle without adequate support.

There has been a bit of a division in the pro life brigade. Right to Life, Festival of Light, Endeavour Forum, Salt shakers have adopted the position, “abortion is bad, abortion should be banned, end of story”. The second group: official Catholic bodies like the Respect Life offices, John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, the Presbyterian Church, Confessing members of the UCA, large Pentecostal assemblies, Australian Christian Lobby have adopted the position, “abortion is bad, abortion should be banned, but we know you won’t, so with so many abortions, what are you going to do about reducing the number?” In other words if we can get some backtracking, that is better than achieving nothing.

Of course our pro choice opponents, Emily’s list, and the feminist groups are awake to this strategy and make no distinction between the two pro life groups.

OK, if you have read this far, I award you a bright shiny gold medal, ‘cause I’ve failed abysmally to date in generating any interest whatsoever in somehow trying to combat the culture of death.

I believe that the concept (pardon the pun) of protection of life would be more widely accepted outside of the Christian community if Christians modeled to the world how life was to be valued rather than just talked and wrote letters about it.

1. So how can Christians better engage in the public debate over ethical issues?
1a How do we become better informed on the issues of the day?
2. What role for ministers, members of congregations, denominational leadership in the culture wars?
3. Or, should we even bother and just concentrate on church life?
4. How to support/enhance the role of ACL?

Any thoughts about practical measures? I have some but would be interested to hear from others first.

I have a real issue with the 2 alternatives, one being engagement in debate and being “informed” versus not bothering and concentrating on church life.  , I’d suggest that those who support the preservation of life at all costs should take practical action such as:

1. Provide support both in the home and in instittuions(there are very few of those, RIght to Lifers should be building and staffing these) for the terminally ill and the profoundly disabled.  If we respect life then Christians should be looking after the quality of all lives and helping carers.

2.Provide ongoing support to disadvantaged infants and children and their parents.  As a society how can we not be heartbroken by the horrendous cases of child abuse recently reported in the media.  If we wish to preserve teh life of a foetus, surely we must act to preserve the life of infants and children once they are abe to survive outside the womb, albeith whilst needing a lot of care.  At a local level, churches could identify at risk families and children and do practical outreach, eg providing clothing, house cleaning, tutoring etc to kids at risk.

Thank you for your post Melinda - I’ve been amazed at the lack of interest in this post.

Anglicare exists and whilst I don’t know anything about it, not being Anglican, I presume it actually does engage in the ways you suggest, but may not as an organisation be well plugged into the Church going consciousness, at least as far as lay people are concerned.

Some things can be done at Parish level - soup kitchens - how many Sydney Anglican Parishes are involved in providing such a service? Others, like aged care facilities, counselling services for women caught in the dilemma of an unwanted pregnancy probably need to be provided on regional basis - of the latter there are 5,6 such agencies in Victoria mainly staffed by Catholics.,

I must say I’m impressed by Melbourne Catholics who have all kinds of things up and running - as an example, a couple of mights ago there was an item on ABC TV 7 pm news concerning the Fitzroy Parish’s soup kitchen doing a million meals a year.

The Catholics operate a Respect Life Office which pumps out lots of informative and attractive printed material into the Parishes discussing the issues as well as advising on what is available. Once a year there is a “Respect Life” Sunday.

Our doctrine of sin and grace as well as our common humanity ought to compel us to take practical measures to alleviate/rescue/support those in trouble. As Rodney Stark showed so brilliantly in The Rise Of Christianity, practical measures of love in the early church were not just practiced but actually grew the church.

Any church growth programme without associated “missions of mercy” seems to be a very lacking thing.

The PCV has recently got involved with Presbyterians in Malawi. What are we doing? Yes, theological education, but also education for children and we have just provided money (every Victorian Pariash contributing) to buy 6 acres of land outside Blantyre for the building of an orphanage for 200 children.

Because of our involvement in the debate over euthanasia I will be raising in our Assembly the issue of the PCV getting involved in palliative care. I’m sure Sydney Anglicans through Anglicare have been involved in palliative care for many years.

I’m just rabbiting on now but I highly recommend involvement in ACL - contra FOL, Saltshakers, they have excellent contacts into all the Australian Parliaments and they actively look to work with the churches.

Thanks David,

I’m interested! Just haven’t commented. But appreciating your work on this.

Gordon Cheng - 05 July 2008 09:58 AM

Thanks David,

I’m interested! Just haven’t commented. But appreciating your work on this.

Same here David.

On palliative care, the Anglican Deaconess Institution in Sydney has run what used to be called ‘homes of peace’ for many years at Petersham (now moved to Fairfield), Greenwich and Wahroonga.  These are now administered though Hope Healthcare (which is a separate organisation to Anglicare), and are part of the public health system rather than private hospitals.

One of my daughters has been involved in a soup kitchen style ministry in Newtown with a number of Sydney Uni EU students, and is now looking at helping a youth ministry in Redfern (for the out-of-state folks, that’s one of the poorer suburbs of Sydney).

There is undoubtedly a lot more we can do, and sometimes it is overwhelming to consider.  One of the ways that many Christians are involved, of course, is by generous giving to Anglicare and many other such organisations.  This generosity is largely invisible to our society.

Bob

Perhaps future generations will look back at our time in history and wonder how the church could have tolerated abortion the way we now look back at the era of slavery.