IN June, the health minister of the only jurisdiction left in the country where “no person, hospital, health institution, other institution or service is under a duty” to carry out an abortion announced that conscientious objection to killing the unborn was about to be banned. The quoted disclaimer – versions of which were hitherto standard countrywide – is excerpted from a now repealed Western Australian law. Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said she hoped her ‘major overhaul’ – enacted in September via the Abortion Legislation Reform Act 2023 – would make terminations “easier and more streamlined.” The drive to encourage and expedite baby deaths in WA is almost as frenetic as the state’s infamous, cowardly cocooning of adults during the so-called pandemic. The Cook Labor government has also abolished referrals and mandatory counselling as prerequisites for having an abortion, and increased the gestational limit from 20 weeks to 23. The requirement that late-term abortions be approved by a medical panel has been repealed. But nobody seemed to notice or care that from Brisbane on the Pacific to Esperance on the Indian, an ironic curtain of ‘compassionate’ violence has descended across the continent.
If WA Coalition chiefs Shane Love and Libby Mettam noticed, they certainly don’t seem to mind. Both of them support the Sanderson ‘reforms’. On conscientious objection, it is no coincidence that all Labor governments are compelling doctors who won’t kill patients to refer them on to someone who will. This nazi policy is invariably sold as a reasonable compromise. In fact, enabling an enormity in lieu of committing it does not disencumber the righteous man of his qualms. Coerced abetment of killing is terrorism, impure and simple. On euthanasia – the death twin of the contemporary left’s antinatalist mania – David Crisafulli is another study in spineless whatever-ism. When Annastacia Palaszczuk introduced a bill to legalise ‘voluntary assisted dying’ (sanctioned homicide) in 2021, the tremulous Queensland LNP leader said he had an “open mind” about the legislation, then declined to publicly reveal his own position on it, then voted against it. When the bill transmogrified into law on party lines, Crisafulli told Paul Murray he wouldn’t even make amendments as Premier to restore the private property rights and human rights of Christian hospitals and their staff. “You’re a good man,” condescended Murray – obviously impressed that a prospective non-Labor winner wasn’t a stickler for principle.
With so much earnest but feeble discussion taking place right now about threats to the remnants of Western Civilisation itself, a health minister with a BA in journalism (yes, really) proposing, selling and enacting an authoritarian assault on life and liberty in Western Australia is banal, prima facie. That’s the problem; is is banal but in Hannah Arendt’s sense. The banality of evil is now a norm in Australian politics. Extremists like Daniel Andrews institutionalise abominations which the Liberal Party then refuses to rescind for fear of the mob. They concentrate instead on garden-variety issues like cost of living. Notwithstanding that their own fiscal recklessness inaugurated – or, at least, did very little to minimise – that crisis, there is nothing wrong with focusing on practicalities per se but not at the cost of abandoning truth and freedom.
Which brings me back to Murray who has solid form for gaslighting his viewers into registering the price of everything but the value of nothing. His trite mockery of St Ursula’s College in Sydney this week for preventing an alleged lesbian from attending a formal with her “girlfriend” exemplified a nihilism by no means rare on the gormless right. Murray’s panel included ‘Catholic’ Liberal senator Hollie Hughes and Ashby-hostage Pauline Hanson. In between the chortling, all agreed the school should ignore the Deposit of Faith that many thousands – if not millions – of saints died to protect. The principal and board – perhaps the archdiocese and the Church Militant – should listen to Paul Murray instead. It would be funny if it wasn’t for the fact that grievance lobbies are already trying to legislate away the right of Christian schools to make Christian decisions. With finks like this at the gates, expect their whopping hobby horse to roll right in.
At the rate we are going, I suspect the Islamisation of the West will happen before the theoretical date of Net Zero. No need to worry then about any more abortions or “girlfriends”.
On the other hand, there could be a few other things to worry about.
“On the other hand, there could be a few other things to worry about.”
Indeed, we Jews will have lots to worry about. As for Gays for Gaza and Queers for Palestine…..ho hum.
The Islamisation of the West always follows – and is enabled by – the secularisation of the West. There are a lot of people – including commentators of an allegedly ‘conservative’ bent – who make a religion of humanist ‘rights’ like abortion and sexual liberalism (over against a Catholic girls’ school, for example). They believe this is what freedom in the West is all about – even that it firewalls the West. In fact, this version of liberalism has the opposite effect.
As much as it is horrific, I think these babies are the lucky ones. They don’t have to do the time here and go directly to their Heavenly Father.
It is very cringing the way Murray will fawn over some guests, even though I may often approve of the guest.
Unfortunately this is despicable politics.
Nats Shane Love, some three or four years ago, voted against euthanasia and further liberalised amendments to abortion. From the Parliamentary record from August just gone, he put forward a clause to amend the devil-incarnate (Sanderson) bill, to try and ensure there are two medical practitioners needed but this was voted down by the ALP who easily have the numbers. And in the end, probably based on the sheer numbers, he (and Mettam) made a political calculation and voted with the ALP in the end.
Post script: I’ve followed WA politics for a loooong time and Sanderson has to be one of the most terrifying manifestations of evil on this Earth.
If WA Coalition chiefs Shane Love and Libby Mettam noticed, they certainly don’t seem to mind.
… they recognise that you can’t legislate morality.
Whenever Internal Polling looks dire for Labor [which means they’re losing the Womens Vote] they fall back on the old favorite, Abortion.
Are women ever going to vote to go back to the days of
Sadly, no.
So, absent a Bipartisan approach, which Labor isn’t interested in, the Liberal Party can either fight what should be Labors internal battles until there’s no Liberals left or let Labor destroy itself.
Of course you can. In fact, that’s exactly what all legislation does.
Besides which, that old secularist slogan doesn’t really have any relevance to infanticide, forcing doctors to enable killings and commandeering private property.
Compulsion to carry out, or even facilitate someone else to carry out, an unconscionable or morally reprehensible act is itself evil, and is the sort of thing you’d expect from a totalitarian government, not an alleged democratic government.
And now the devil worshipers are coming for The Christians.
.. who are the devil worshipers?
Henry Ergas in today’s Australian:
That’s pretty wild talk, considering that the NSDAP drew their support from the least Christian areas of Germany [look it up].
The left’s goal is to criminalise conscientious objection.
In some respects, they already have.
Doctors’ conscientious objection to abortion can affect women’s health: study.
‘It was very traumatic for her’: how conscientious objection hinders women’s access to abortion.
Thanks for the extra details, Mark.
It doesn’t make any sense for Love and Mettam to have voted with Labor for the bill on the pretext that the government’s majority was overwhelming. In those circumstances, you vote your conscience – safe (if that matters to you) in the knowledge that you won’t draw flak for jeopardising ‘progress’.
Unless, of course, Shane “Puppy” Love was only pretending to care to placate the hundreds of constituents who probably contacted his office.
They were usually in favour of conscientious objection during WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War.
Amazing how the left has ditched so many of its principles now that it is the Establishment.
But never mind the mental health and well-being of doctors and medical professionals coerced into violating their beliefs and morals.
Forcing anyone to work in direct oposition to both personal judgement and religious commitment sounds a lot like Modern Slavery to me … I though Australia was opposed to that.
Would it be OK to force a Muslim to work in a bar serving alcohol? How about forcing a Jew to handle bacon? Forcing a Hindu to slaughter cattle?
Those would all be Modern Slavery IMHO.
But never mind the mental health and well-being of doctors and medical professionals coerced into violating their beliefs and morals.
I think the last few years with all the COVID B/S put paid to that fallacy.
Would it be OK to force a Muslim to work in a bar serving alcohol?
Probably not, but would you be okay if he did it of his own free will?
How about forcing a Jew to handle bacon?
Why?
I’ve seen plenty Jews eating bacon, it’s not a big deal for anyone.
Forcing a Hindu to slaughter cattle?
Probably not cattle, but they have a Festival every few years where they slaughter everything else that moves, going on for days.
If Doctors have Ethical Dilemmas, they can pull the pin, switch to some other form of practice or retire with Nursie to manage their real estate portfolio.
Ed, please don’t bait people with nitpicking.
Tel’s point is not about bacon.
And no, we’re not forcing thousands of doctors to quit because they refuse to decapitate babies. You don’t even believe that yourself – so why write it?
Unfortunately our Christian society is being attacked by new age Govt supported “do nothings”.
In my day, along time ago, if you fooled around and got a girl pregnant, yo bloody well married her.
What was wrong with the older days?
What are we stuck with this progressive BS.
I am a Luddite, sort of.
Pat
And from fayre Albion,
So pro-choice only matters when they approve of the choice
Tom Knighton Nov 2, 2023
Also check this article from Vikki Campion
Govts Kill Babies and Old People but Protects Pedophiles
After Covid, that doctors have morals and ethics has come as a complete surprise to myself and many others.
Tel’s point is not about bacon.
I get that.
My point is that stereotypes are usually not accurate, i.e., 98% of Muslims Jews and Hindus are are about as devout as I am about Anglicanism, that is, not at all.
And no, we’re not forcing thousands of doctors to quit because they refuse to decapitate babies. You don’t even believe that yourself – so why write it?
95% of doctors don’t believe in anything.
That’s my point.
Some woman goes to the Doctor, wants a Referral.
Maybe she’s a psychopath, maybe she’ll commit suicide if she doesn’t get the referral, how does the doctor know.
One thing he likely does know:
Unwanted children generally have poor life outcomes, viz. Violemce, alcoholism, drug dependency, deviant behaviour, jails, nuthouses, and they beget more of the same.
That was officially the justification for exterminating undesirables during the Third Reich.
Your one-upmanship leads you to say silly things, Ed. Please stop.
All you have to know about Murray is he hasn’t a clue how to read the population. He predicted WA and QLD ALP would be wiped out. He thought the referendum would be close. He thought NSW probably would hang onto Perrotet Liberals.
And he also doesn’t have a philosophical bone in him except for his feelings about the vibe. He’s a strong representative of the former Labor centre that’s moves slightly right and now tries to call himself conservative. They’re not conservative and they’re not libertarian. They’re in some kind of moral vacuum that fits in the middle.
He also tried to gaslight his audience into ignoring net zero after his friend ScoMo adopted the policy. “Death, taxes and net zero,” he used to say, in the lead-up to the election.
You know: there is nothing we can do about it. Move on. Etc.
Great call.
Murray is an atheist – which is why he’s fine about ratting on Catholic schools to the Labor governments who are already itching to go even further to control them.
Atheist you say.
Canada’s very own Emperor of Death has decreed that Military Chaplains cannot mention God nor the Cross this coming Remembrance Day…
Wow.
I just read NFA’s link above re Canadia removing God from Remembrance Day & military chaplaincy
Isn’t there an old saying about there are no atheists in foxholes…
Skipping past the bit where you make up your own statistics, avoiding the rather thorny question of how the standard of “devout” is measured anyways … lets suppose Australia has a population of 26 million and we decide to legislate slavery but only for half a million people and not the rest … you would be all good with that … yeah? I mean, it’s less than 2% of Australians, so who cares?
How many children are in ChildCare, unwilling cannon fodder for a Government funded industry that shouldn’t exist?
How many unwilling children are in compulsory schooling, being indoctrinated by lying ratbags?
It’d be more than 500,000
So, it’s not a hypothetical.
What are you doing about it?
About as much as I am, is my guess..
Hello CL. I just wanted to thank you for hosting such a admirable website and encouraging a variety of views on it, whilst retaining a genuine moral compass. I read much of your stuff years ago (maybe on the old Professor Bunyip site PBUH) so I just wanted to express my thanks. I am much too technically incompetent to host a website, so thank you for doing so. Especially as we may disagree on some issues – and vent as required. JMJ.
Ed, when you arbitrarily change the topic, that means you have no answer and feel in need of a distraction.
We have been requested not to derail threads onto random unrelated topics, so I will not discuss child care here.
I liked what that Archbishop had to say.
The preciously-named Amber-Jade won’t say “baby”. The crusaders gave thought to the language. Unwanted baby is a called a “reproductive outcome”.
Thank you, DR. I appreciate your contributions very much. UIOGD.
you Latinist!