As Prime Minister Kevin Rudd injects almost nine billion dollars into the Australian economy a team of Moore College students are hoping Christians will put half towards an abortion awareness campaign.
PM Rudd may have indicated he wants the $8.7billion in bonuses for parents and pensioners to be spent on "Christmas cheer' to help grow the economy and keep people in their jobs but the students backing Free Money for New Lives (FMFNL) have other ideas for the cash handouts.
In November Moore student Rowan Hilsden launched a campaign called Free Money For New Lives, with the support of the Moore College student body and faculty, proposing to do just what it says " use the "free money for new lives".
Yesterday, every Australian family that receives "Family Tax Benefit A' was given $1000 per child and Mr Hilsden wants these recipients to give half their benefits to FMFNL thereby helping to care for the unborn and their mothers and make a firm statement on the devastating effects of abortion.
"If enough people from Sydney Anglican churches were on board we could raise over $500,000, which would get us some excellent television-style advertisements and really raise this issue in the minds of the general population. Imagine what could happen if Christians from across the country got on board," Mr Hilsden says.
On Wednesday November 26, a team of Moore College students gathered at the Newtown campus and packed over 500 information packs to be sent to every Anglican minister in Sydney Diocese.
Packs were also sent out nationwide to Perth, Newcastle and Brisbane.
The packs contained a DVD to assist in the promotion of Free Money for New Lives and the video content can also be viewed on Youtube.
Also included in the packs were 100 flyers outlining the goals of FMFNL, with a giving slip on the back for donations and a 42-page document from Women's Forum Australia titled Women & Abortion: An Evidence Based Review (Women's Forum Australia, 2005).
"The booklet is a summary of international studies and literature on the issues surrounding abortion and its consequences for women's health and wellbeing," Mr Hilsden says.
Also included was a Social Issues Executive pamphlet titled “Abortion: a Christian response” written by Tracy Nodder and Dr Andrew Cameron.
"This pamphlet outlines how as Christians we should understand abortion and respond to the issues surrounding abortion," Mr Hilsden says.
The Christian ethics-based work looks at the reasons women abort, the complexity of choice, recent studies on attitudes to abortion and what choice looks like for Christians.
College student and FMFNL publicist Di Lucas hopes the campaign will "prick the consciences of as many people as possible'.
"Our hope is that every person who received these information packs will jump on board and promote Free Money for New Lives with great vigour & passion," she says.
"As Christians we must present a unified front on this issue if we are to be genuine in showing Christ's love to the world. We can't keep putting this on the back-burner because the issue is too hard or controversial."
Money will also go to many other people such as single aged pensioners who will receive lump-sum payments of $1400 and $2100 for couples.
"Although we are firstly seeking the use of the government handout to support this initiative this does not mean that we don't want all Christians to consider supporting FMFNL," Mr Hilsden says.
Students and families step up
Alison Maegraith, wife of Moore College student and St Andrew's Cathedral jazz catechist Richard Maegraith, is convinced that the practice of abortion in Australia "continues under a mass collective denial'.
"Unless this practice is ‘held up to the light’ women will think nothing of it, that is, until it’s too late," she says.
"There needs to be strong, loud, public opposition to the wrong of abortion on all levels, for the sake of the unborn, for the sake of women. Otherwise our social, collective conscience will continue to be dulled to the reality of what we are actually doing.
“Our aim is to do an advertising campaign that will reach as many people as possible."
First year Moore College student Nick Moll says the abortion situation is "completely out of control'.
"It really seems that our society is now filled with the opinion that abortion is virtuous. As I talk to people, it seems that it’s gone well past the status of being seen as a "necessary evil'," Mr Moll reveals.
"People speak about it with complete detachment and sing its praises as though it’s equivalent to the right to vote. As Christians, we need to stop being silenced and speak with graciousness and the willingness to back up our words with loving action."
