A Sydney Anglican think-tank is claiming tightening abortion laws will do little to save the lives of unborn babies.
The Social Issues Executive of the Sydney Diocese today announced that it welcomed the resurgence of the abortion debate but wonders whether a legal solution will result in a society where our love for children will extend as far as the womb.
Tracey Gordon, the Executive's chief researcher says the growing discussion regarding abortion laws fails to address more fundamental questions.
"US abortion rates dropped under Clinton, a ‘pro-choice’ president, and rose under Bush, a ‘pro-life’ supporter. There was obviously something about the Clinton administration that made it possible for women to have children, and one guess is that the administration’s welfare policies made it possible for women to work and to keep their children," Ms Gordon said.
The Sydney Diocese is calling on governments to build a better society where women can afford to bond joyfully to the children they carry.
Sydney's Social Issues Executive says it would not oppose legal changes to restrict late-term abortion as a symbolic recognition of the seriousness of the procedure.
But simply tightening laws would be an inadequate response to the staggering number of abortions in Australia each year.
"Disputes about the number of abortions being performed, state rights, women’s privacy or the contributions of men all fail to address the real problem," Ms Gordon says.
The Executive believes a rethink of society as a whole, rather than the details of abortion is more likely to result in a healthy country that recognises a woman’s ‘private’ decisions are deeply influenced by the cultural attitudes and possibilities that make up her life.
"Those who call for law reform or funding reform need to win hearts and minds, by showing why a high abortion rate is so bad, and by helping us imagine a society that is deeply welcoming to children."
An extended statement of the Social Issues Executive's position can be found at Latest Thinking under the Culture & Society tab.
