As a Victorian, I pray that NSW will not follow our lead
July 31, 2019 July 31, 2019 / MurrayCampbell	/ 2 Comments
As a Victorian, I am praying that NSW will not follow our lead. This week NSW Parliamentarians have begun preparing to debate and pass legislation that will legalise abortion in NSW up until birth. This is a sickening idea, and it is incredibly sad to see the Premier State losing its way, even with some conservative MPs advocating for the legislation.
I am all too aware of these debates, with my own State passing the most progressive abortion laws in the country over a decade ago. As a Pastor, I have seen the pain and guilt on women's faces as they struggle with their past having had abortions. I have also seen women come to know the beautiful and powerful grace of a forgiving God.
In 2016, then member of the Victorian Legislative Council, Rachel Carling-Jenkins, presented a Bill hoping to overturn a 2008 law which legalised late-term abortions.
The law allows women in Victoria to have an abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy, right up until the time of birth. All that is required is for two doctors to give approval.
The Abortion Law Reform Act 2008 stipulates that late-term abortions are permissible so long as two medical practitioners "reasonably believe that the abortion is appropriate in all the circumstances". "Circumstances" is defined as the medical practitioner having regard to
"(a) all relevant medical circumstances; and
(b) the woman's current and future physical, psychological and social circumstances."
The Bill was defeated 27 votes to 11.
At the time I did not engage in the conversation. Perhaps I was busy. Maybe I was focusing on other matters of importance. I remember a debate taking place in Parliament but to my shame, it wasn't on my radar as it ought.
If there is one thing I have learned over the past few years is that evil doesn't slow down its agenda simply because we are paying attention or not paying attention. No one can address every act of immorality and speak to every grave issue facing the world; we need an omnipotent and loving God. However, when we can speak, should we not give voice to those who cannot speak for themselves?
Societal shift on abortion has been swift. In the space of three years, we've witnessed the culture move from justifying abortion to celebrating abortion, from permitting the practice during the early weeks of pregnancy to licensing third-trimester abortions, even when these very same infants could survive and live outside the womb.
Understand, these laws are not about saving the life of the mother, for, in such rare and terrifying circumstances, the life of the mother is surely and already prioritised. The aim in those rare situations is not to kill the child but to save the life of the mother. This is far from where the abortion argument now finds itself. The newly adopted law in New York State, the proposed Bill in Virginia, and the current practice in Victoria where I live do not require the mother's life to be at risk. The grounds are, can she persuade a doctor (in Victoria the law requires 2 Drs) that she no longer wishes to keep the pregnancy. As the harrowing video reveals, this decision can be made as late as during labor.
According to the Victorian State Government's health website, in 2016, 14.9% of all perinatal deaths in Victoria were accounted by abortions for "maternal psychosocial indications". 40.32% of all late-term abortions (from 20 weeks) are for "psychosocial" reasons, meaning there is nothing wrong with the baby or physical health of the mother. Please note, my understanding is that these numbers include terminations that occurred in hospitals and does not include abortions that take place in clinics.
If the pronouncements of these lawmakers aren't enough to turn the stomach, Virginia Governor, Ralph Northam, made the suggestion earlier this year that the life of a newborn child can be legitimately ended if that is the wish of the mother and attending physician.
"If a mother is in labor…the infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians & mother"
This is not a slippery slope, this is the natural outworking of an ethic without God. This is the world of Peter Singer. 20 years ago many people sneered at some of Singer's views and found them repugnant. Today, much of his thinking has become the norm in Western countries. His utilitarian thinking supports the killing of lesser human beings, those who are disabled and are considered less than fully functioning. Singer's arguments supporting infanticide are now finding their way into mainstream politics and legislative agendas. Have we not learned from history? Are not past stories of the mass killing of innocence enough to steer us from ever going there again? The answer is, no. Our civilised and progressive societies are eager to venture into those dark hellish places once again.
What makes our society even more culpable than past societies is that we are committing the same sins but with greater knowledge and with greater ability. Modern knowledge reveals truths about how babies are formed in the womb, things that were once believed but could not be seen until the invention of ultrasounds. We can see the heartbeat of a baby in the earliest weeks. We can delight at a child's fingers and toes growing at 6 weeks. We now know that babies can hear and respond to music by 16 weeks; the next Mozart is already learning to feel and marvel at the beauty of sound.
Medical advancements give us unparalleled ability to care for both mother and child, to even perform surgery on a baby while it is in the womb. When these little ones surprise us by coming into the world early we have the know-how to save the lives of these children as young as 22 weeks.
This is a grotesque reality in which we live: despite superior knowledge of human life in the womb and superior medical technology to save life, our commitment to destroying life has also increased.
I suspect some readers will respond with partial agreement; you dislike late-term abortions, but you don't have a problem with ending a pregnancy during the first trimester. This is not an uncommon position to hold.
May I respond by asking you this question, at what point can we draw an absolute moral line? At what point can we justify the moral shift from being okay with killing the child to believing it is not okay? Is the moral threshold when the baby begins to feel pain? Is it the moment cognitive awareness starts? Is it the week when their limbs have formed? Is it the moment the heart begins to beat? There is no ontological moment during a pregnancy at which we can argue, at this stage, it is okay to abort a child.
This needs to stop. Members of the NSW Parliament, please do not lead your State down this deadly and awful path.
I understand that this issue is very real and personal for many women in our society. I don't want to ignore the pain and guilt thousands of women experience following an abortion. To them, I say, there is the hope of forgiveness and renewal for those who seek it.
How different is the answer that we find with the God of the Bible. The Bible insists that every human being, from the moment of conception, is precious and made in the image of God. Gender, age, health, mental faculties, physical appearance, do not detract from a person's inestimable worth.
Jesus loved the unwanted. Throughout his three years of ministry, Jesus was known for befriending and caring for those whom society thought little and had often neglected. No one was too insignificant for him to take interest in and show love.
On one occasion we are told,
"A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy." (Matthew 8:2-3)
Jesus didn't stop there, the extent of love that God demonstrated was found on a Roman cross, where the Son of God sacrificed his life for the salvation of others.
"Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5)
Australians turning to the USA to find the ideal baby
April 1, 2019 April 3, 2019 / MurrayCampbell	/ Leave a comment
Australian couples are turning to the United States to help them find the ideal child.
Among all the questions that Susan and I talked about and thought over as we considered having children, not once did we ask, 'what coloured eyes would we prefer our children to have?' Such contemplation would not find entry into the top 1000 questions that we asked ourselves about the children we hoped to have the privilege of raising and loving.
An article published by the Herald Sun over the weekend revealed that hundreds of Australian couples are paying up to $20,000 for 'designer babies'. Australian couples are utilising the services made available at Fertility Clinics across the United States, to siphon out babies who don't fit with their dream baby. Most common, parents are screening for gender, deciding whether they wish to have a girl or boy. There are also cases where parents are selecting their child's eye colour; in fact, there is now an 18-month waiting list for this screening test.
Journalist Natasha Bita reported that "Controversially, it claims that Australian medicos are co-operating with the offshore clinic…The NHMRC yesterday warned it would be illegal for Australian doctors to co-­operate with foreign clinics offering selection for gender or eye colour."
Brisbane geneticist Professor David Coman is right when he said, this is a case of "eugenics" and it is "grossly inappropriate in the Australian culture".
The Oxford Dictionary defines eugenics as, "the science of improving a population by controlled breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable heritable characteristics."
What these "desirable heritable characteristics" are, will vary depending on the culture and the dominant moral narrative of the day. Eugenics has been advocated and practiced in many cultures, perhaps most infamously in Nazi Germany during the 1930s-40s. One difference today is the greater wealth of scientific knowledge made available to medical experts for identifying all kinds of details pertaining to an individual human being from its earliest moments of life in the womb (or petrie dish as it may be). Technology is a useful servant, and it can create greater destruction than the hammer of Thor. Too often, what is discerned as possible through science, soon afterward becomes a moral commitment; we can therefore let us do.
Thank God that many forms of eugenics are currently banned in Australia, and yet the door has already swung wide open as doctors test for all manner of ailments and give parents permission to keep or to kill, based on whether they wish to have a child with a potential illness. No doubt some parents use this information to help prepare them for parenthood, while others use diagnoses to determine whether they will keep the pregnancy or not.
What happens to those embryos who don't fit the parents' requirements, whether it is the 'right' gender or even the 'right' coloured eyes? Are these little ones given another chance or are they discarded into a rubbish bin, like we would with a piece of fruit that is past is best used by date?
Are children to be loved unconditionally or should they be viewed as a valuable commodity, selected and loved like the family pet. Should a parent's love for their children be measured by gender or by disability or by how many fingers or toes are counted? Is a child to be more or less valued because of their DNA or potential chromosomal abnormality? Should we really take into account the colour of a baby's eyes? Australian culture is drifting far from the worldview of Psalm 139.
"For you created my inmost being;
Our society has moved a long way from holding fast to these ancient words, words which delight in the life of every image-bearer of God. It is liberating Psalm, for the dignity of each person is not contingent upon the value attributed by another person or social opinion, but by the fact of ontology.
Popular threads on social media and in the news will downplay the wonder of Psalm 139 and instead elevate the freedom of others to choose life or death. The practice is revealing uncomfortable truths that can't be denied, despite clamorous noises trying to ignore and/or downplay:
The majority of babies aborted are girls
Babies diagnosed with possible physical abnormalities are many times more likely to be aborted than those without
In parts of America, such as New York State, the number of African-American babies being aborted is greater than those who are born.
Most late-term abortions are not performed because the baby's or mother's life is at risk.
Most of these examples are forms of eugenics. We may avoid the language due to its historical associations, but it is nonetheless the practice of controlling breeding in order to increase desired social outcomes.
Psalm 139 reveals a complex anthropology. For while the Psalmist glorifies God for the wonder of life in the womb, he also calls for God to intervene against those who shed blood. It is as though those who destroy human life are hypocrites, denying their own humanity as they refuse it in others.
"If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
They speak of you with evil intent;
Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies." (verses 19-22)
The Psalmist, however, does not end with this view of retribution but turns to his own situation and asks God to make known to him things that are unacceptable and unbecoming in his own life.
"Search me, God, and know my heart;
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting". (verses 23-23)
The point is this, we are quick to judge nations around us for their discrimination and violence, but we are slow to acknowledge our own participation in the dehumanisation project. Instead, we have resolved to justifying ourselves in manipulating and even taking life. We allege that "it's an act of mercy…the cost would be too great…the parents may not cope".
Even we Christians who speak to the dignity of every human life, ever for us, especially us, we must ask of God, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting". When this process of Divine examination begins, we remember that our own faults and offences are great, so hideous that they demanded a bloody cross to bring redemption and peace. In other words, the Psalmist's anger, although justified, leads to personal reflection and repentance; not only damning culture but offering a better paradigm. With this in mind, Christians have something worth offering. Just as Christians once challenged the Roman practice of infanticide by quietly loving and saving the unwanted, let us consider how we can counter the growing and dreadful practice of eugenics.
Raising the stakes on sex
March 12, 2019 March 12, 2019 / MurrayCampbell	/ Leave a comment
Jane Caro and John Dickson have been exchanging thought tweets over the past couple of weeks. It has been an interesting and helpful dialogue. I think it's important for us to listen to each other in order to understand what makes each person ticks and to find out why we believe what we believe.
Over the weekend Jane Caro made a comment which appears (Jane can correct me if I'm wrong) to have been written as a way of closing down this conversation. Caro said,
"Dear right-to-life men, if u have sex without wearing a condom u have no right 2stand on any kind of moral high ground & compel a woman 2carry your stray sperm 2fruition. In fact, if u ever have sex without being fully prepared to raise any child who may result u are a fraud".
John Dickson noted the pro-life position that Caro has unwittingly outlined, not only for men but also for women. He said,
"I agree with this. But I wonder if you do! You wrote: "In fact, if u ever have sex without being fully prepared to raise any child who may result u are a fraud." Does that apply to women, too?"
He later responded to someone who objected to his question by saying,
"All of that is true. None of it negates the question: Shouldn't both sexes be willing to take full responsibility for any life that is created by having sex? I say: yes! Is it really plausible to suggest this principle only applies to men?"
Again, it's a fair question.
I've noticed amidst recent commentary on abortion that there's another piece of logic and ethics that has, in my opinion, gone astray. The logic goes like this,
Leading up to and during sex, a man needs to take responsibility for his actions.
If the woman falls pregnant, it is her decision alone whether she keeps or aborts the child
Upon giving the birth the man ought to share responsibility for raising and supporting the child
I suspect almost everyone agrees with points 1 and 3. We need to acknowledge that there are some men who fail miserably on points 1 and or 3. The Proverb is true of them,
"Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control." (Proverbs 25:28)".
While I have met such men, I know many more who behave very differently, and with great love, care, and responsibility. Notice, however, that this chain of responsibility has been cut in the middle?
Last week I was reminded in very adamant terms that men shouldn't talk to the topic of abortion. The argument presented was that men don't experience pregnancy and so they should simply shut up. The baby is nor forming inside the man, and so his views are not required….except for those men who publicly and without qualification support the course of abortion! Yes, men do not and cannot understand what it is like to be pregnant, with all its joys and fears, expectations and uncertainties, but that does not mean that most men do not care and that we have no sense of responsibility to protect and nurture young life. I began to wonder, should the ALP present their newly announced abortion platform to the Parliament, will male MPs be asked to sit out of any debate on abortion and will they be asked to refrain from voting? Will men who work on hospital boards be requested to abstain from commenting should the Labor position become law? What of male doctors and nurses who are faced with the ethical dilemma of abortion? What about the fathers of these children?
Let me repeat, along with John Dickson, that I agree with Jane Caro's comment. In fact, I suspect there is broad consensus in the community that men must take responsibility for points 1 and 3. However, the logic that is today commonly espoused in our culture excises men during stage 2. Again, I appreciate that mothers have a peculiar relationship with their child in the womb that no man can fully understand. It is also true that fathers share a special bond with their children, even while the infant is growing inside the womb. To insist upon responsibility at the start and at the end, but not in the middle, is surely a moral mistake? This is not about men demanding anything, but it is a couple who have committed to the good of each other, giving and receiving in love.
I would take it one step further and suggest that point 2 shouldn't exist at all. The very notion that we are discussing whether to kill a baby or not is morally insane. But for argument sake, let's assume the moral posture that Australian culture has adopted, can we not still see the problem with premise no.2?
It's almost as though the very nature of sex communicates that it is not suited for the uncommitted and unloving. It is not a casual transaction. It is not without design and purpose. Sex is of such intimate and personal giving of oneself to another human being that it requires deep commitment and trust; dare I suggest, sex needs marriage. Yes, marriages can breakdown. Both men and women can fail in keeping their covenantal promises of marriage. Sadly, some marriages become like hell. But have the alternatives done better? We are suffering from myopia if we fail to acknowledge that when marriage is working (which it most often does), it offers the best framework to resolve the tensions and mistrust and fears that are involved in these issues surrounding raising children.
Jane Caro has made an important point. She hasn't gone far enough, but it is a start. Men take responsibility for your actions. If you are unable to commit to raising a family and to do so with the character and longevity that is required, it is better for everyone that you practice some good old fashioned and virtuous self-control.
"Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you."(Psalm 32:9)
ALP Abortion Policy won't make for a better Australia
March 7, 2019 March 7, 2019 / MurrayCampbell	/ Leave a comment
"There is a way that appears to be right,
but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12)
This week, Tanya Plibersek announced Labor's plan to further support the widespread practice of abortion in this country. The ALP is proposing that abortions should be more easily available, funded by the taxpayer, and that this should include late-term abortions, and that Federal funding to hospitals will depend on them providing abortion services.
By Thennicke – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
The media is reporting support for this policy initiative from across the country, but many other Australian women and men are saddened that our society is so determined to dehumanise the most vulnerable.
What is remarkable about this announcement is that it follows the recent dreadful revelations that have been made public in the United State regarding abortion. Different State legislatures have proposed Bills that make it easier for babies to be aborted up to birth, and now, even post birth.
In January, a stomach-churning video went viral. In the State of Virginia, House Democrats were advocating a Bill that would legalise late-term abortion, just days after New York State adopted similar legislation. Kathy Tran, a Democrat delegate, responded to questions by admitting that the Bill will permit abortion even as late as when a woman has entered labor.
Kathy Tran: "My bill would allow abortion up to 40 weeks."
Todd Gilbert: "Where it's obvious a woman is about to give birth…would that be a point at which she could still request an abortion?"
Kathy Tran: "My bill would allow that, yes".
Virginia Governor, Ralph Northam, later added at a media conference that the life of a newborn child can be legitimately ended if that is the wish of the mother and attending physician.
"If a mother is in labor…the infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians & mother".
Within days, the US Senate debated a Bill to ban infanticide and thus require medical practitioners to provide medical care for infants born alive post a botched abortion. Yes, this happens, and yes, the Bill was blocked.
Labor's policy would include public funding to cover late-term abortions, as exercised by some Australian States. Over the weekend I once again heard the suggestion that late-term abortions only occur when the mother's life is at risk or in cases where the babies' health is severely compromised. Let us be clear, this is not the argument used by legislators in the United States this year. The argument is, it is the mother's right to choose abortion, even at the point of giving birth; nothing about baby or mother suffering from physical or psychological trauma.
Moreso, the data doesn't support the hypothesis that late-term abortions are restricted to life-threatening situations. In my home State of Victoria, the Government's own data states that 14.9% of all perinatal deaths in Victoria were accounted by abortions for "maternal psychosocial indications" (children aborted prior to 20 weeks are not included in the data). 40.32% of all late-term abortions (from 20 weeks) are for "psychosocial" reasons, meaning there is nothing wrong with the baby or physical health of the mother. Please note, these numbers include terminations that occurred in hospitals and does not include abortions that take place in clinics (which is where the majority of abortions happen).
On January 29th I wrote,
Instead of the news from the United States making Australian politicians reluctant, one of Australia's major political parties announces that they will to push ahead with liberalising abortion. Indeed, the ALP is going so far as to tie funding for hospitals to abortion. Are we as a society now prepared to blackmail medical institutions into contravening conscience and to performing a procedure that is specifically aimed at killing a human life? Where else in a civilised society does a Government compel another body or institution to take the life of a human being? Is it not ethically dubious to the say least?
I have no interest in the politicising of this issue; when should a human life be determined by a vote in Parliament? I urge Tanya Plibersek and the Australian Labor Party to reconsider this policy. Included in the platform is money to support women who wish to have readier access to contraceptive methods. Great. There are viable and ethically sound alternatives to abortion. There are organisations who exist to help mums struggling with pregnancy. There are communities willing and able to assist. There is no sound reason to pursue the current course, except in the extremely rare circumstance where the mother's life is genuinely at risk.
What a messed up society we're creating. Scientific truth and biological facts are shunned in order to promote social agendas. We can openly and freely refuse a person's humanity. We can end human life in the name of autonomy and personal liberation. We justify killing a generation of children in the name of genetic purification. It is truly insidious. It is all the more topsy-turvy as public policy undermines itself because it refuses to see the hypocrisy in its own sloganeering. A society cannot truly claim to believe in the equality of women while persisting in a practice that leads to the deaths of 1000s of young girls each year. The Federal Parliament has recently moved to begin a Royal Commission into the abuse of disabled people, but will they front the ideology responsible for killing 1000s of disabled Australians every year?
"Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes." (Proverbs 27:20)
Should the day come and we realise the ignominious nature of this dehumanisation project, we will look for a God who might dare forgive us, and remove the guilt that we cannot rid ourselves. The Bible speaks of such a merciful God. He is compassionate and patient, but his patience is not without end.
"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near " (Isaiah 55:6)
According to reporting in The Age tonight (March 7th 7pm), Labor has reevaluated one of its major points and will now no longer expect Catholic hospitals to comply with legislation that requires all public hospitals to become providers of abortion. If correct, this is positive news but it doesn't overturn other significant concerns
The Big American Story that Australian media is keeping quiet
February 8, 2019 / MurrayCampbell	/ 1 Comment
One of the most talked about issues in the United States for the past two weeks has been late-term abortions.
New York State passed a law to make it easier to perform abortions up until birth, the State of Virginia came within a single vote of doing so, the Virginian Governor proposed a position in support of infanticide, and the US Senate blocked a Bill aimed at protecting unborn children who can feel pain from 5 months.
Australians are captivated by American politics and culture. Every day and every night our major news outlets are reporting the latest stories coming out of America. Almost without exception, Australian media will rehash and talk about any controversial political story that is churning about America's political washing machine. Viral video clips are splashed on the 6pm news. Tweets are relayed and commented upon, even those which might be innocent but sound juicy if we put an evil spin on them.
The past two weeks have witnessed some of the most embarrassing and detestable suggestions that have reached the floor of American State and Federal Governments in recent decades, and almost zero words have been dedicated to reporting this in Australia.
Australian media have no issue reporting the growing list of Senior Virginian politicians who been caught up in racist or sexual scandals; even local regional newspapers are talking about it. There is however almost no comment on the horrifying position Governor Ralph Northam has articulated in relation to infanticide (which by the way, is the issue which led to the revelations about the photograph in his college yearbook),
There is no media discussion over Virginian Delegate, Kathy Tran's, admission,
Kathy Tran: "My bill would allow that, yes"
This raises a question in my mind, why is Australian media, who are known for their obsession with American politics, ignoring what is one of the biggest political stories of 2019 thus far? Why are they not showing the gruesome revelations made by Virginian Delegate, Kathy Tan? Why are Governor Ralph Northam's comments supporting infanticide not being discussed?
The issue of late-term abortion has such currency in the United States that it was addressed in the State of the Union. Australian media are this week, as always, reporting and comment on the State of the Union, but apart from a couple of passing and innocuous sentences that push the abortion debate into the arena of a local American issue, Australians would be surprised to hear that this is
The President stated,
New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth.
"These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. And then, we had the case of the governor of Virginia where he stated he would execute a baby after birth. To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb."
While the story continues to unfold across the Pacific Ocean, during the same period of time in Australia, we have been reading stories about a fish saved from a sticky end and then driven 100kms to new and safer waters. There is a 'new' report telling us about the immorality of eating meat. Apparently, bees are intelligent. Two penguins enjoyed a holiday in Western Australia and are now traveling back to Antartica. A fish has changed its sex at the Melbourne Aquarium. Endangered Owls are being saved by a "vomit-sniffing dog". These and many more stories about animals and protecting animals have managed to find space in our Aussie news. Of course, some of these stories are interesting and a few are even important and deserve public attention. Hey, there was even room to share another "snake in the toilet" story!
Defend animals! Save animals! Stop murdering animals! But killing healthy babies in the womb, and now even post birth?
I wonder, could it be the case that reporting this growing American story is too close to home? Perhaps the Pacific Ocean is not such a great divide. Maybe, the reality is that quoting these American lawmakers might expose uncomfortable truths about practices that are permitted and even praised in Australia today? It is not difficult to see the moral dissonance. We are being told to express moral outrage when animals are mistreated or are endangered; fair enough. What about killing a healthy baby at 40 weeks if the mother so chooses? What about giving a mother the right to let her healthy child die after he or she is born? Are Australian journalists so afraid of reporting the awful reality of abortion? Are they so committed to protecting this insanely evil practice, that one of the biggest stories in America is blanketed by silence?
We have many fine journalists in Australia, working locally and all over the world, covering all kinds of weighty and relevant stories. Who will speak for the unborn?
"They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood". (Psalm 106:38)
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves." (Proverbs 31:8)
Progressing Abortion and Killing Society
January 31, 2019 March 7, 2019 / MurrayCampbell	/ Leave a comment
A stomach-churning video has gone viral over the last 24 hours. In the State of Virginia, House Democrats are pushing a Bill that will legalise late-term abortion, just days after New York State adopted similar legislation. Kathy Tran, a Democrat delegate, responded to questions by admitting that the Bill will permit abortion even as late as when a woman has entered labor.
You can watch the video here:
I am again writing about this issue, less because of what is unfolding in the USA, but because I'm reminded of what is already practiced and accepted in my home State of Victoria.
If the pronouncements of these lawmakers aren't enough to turn the stomach, Virginia Governor, Ralph Northam, today suggested that the life of a newborn child can be legitimately ended if that is the wish of the mother and attending physician.
This needs to stop.
I understand that this issue is very real and personal for many women in our society. I don't want to ignore the pain and guilt thousands of women experience following an abortion. To them, I say, there is hope of forgiveness and renewal for those who seek it.
Pink is for Death
January 24, 2019 / MurrayCampbell	/ 1 Comment
Pink has become the colour of death. When a baby girl came into the world, friends gave gifts of pink shoes or a pink outfit. It may be a social convention, but does that matter? Pink was the colour for girls. Like so much else, another insidious social movement has replaced something good with the representation of evil.
Last night in Manhattan, the skyline changed to a pinkish glow, as New York State celebrated the passing of a law which will enable the killing of babies up until birth.
As the vote was counted and announced on the floor of the legislative powers in the State Capital of Albany, exuberant applause and cheers went up from the crowd who present to witness the proceedings. One American news outlet has likened scenes to winning the Super Bowl. It is telling when there is greater public joy over the sanctioning of killing human life than over the birth of a child. Surely society has plummeted to a new moral low.
Such scenes are not unique, they are becoming commonplace as abortion laws are relaxed across the world. There were similar scenes of jubilation in the Australian State of Queensland when abortion was legalised late last year. Brisbane's night sky turned the colour purple in celebration of the right to take the life of a baby. Much of Ireland became a street party when their national referendum heavily favoured the legalisation of abortion.
The sheer evil of New York State's law is reviling and should cause us to weep openly. Two of my children were born prematurely; two healthy beautiful little boys. Yet in places like New York and in my own State of Victoria, it is legal and even morally acceptable to have these children put to death. In Victoria, abortions can be legally attained until the pregnancy is 23 weeks and 6 days, after which, two Doctors are then required to sign a permission form. While late-term abortions are still considered 'rare' in Victoria, rare has become another malleable term, for in Victoria alone hundreds of unborn babies are subsequently killed every year after 24 weeks of pregnancy, many have no diagnosed medical condition and could be safely delivered alive.
25 years ago Hilary Clinton initiated what became the popular mantra, "abortion should be safe, legal, and rare". That slogan has been abandoned for there is no longer a need to hide the realities. The new hashtag is " shout your abortion". This shift in public rhetoric less reflects a changing ethical system, and more echoes greater confidence to express what many people in society have long believed.
I still remember Jane Caro's words in 2016,
"Shout out about your abortion any way you see fit — if the subject comes up in conversation, perhaps, or there is a story about it in the news."
"If you have had an abortion, do not be ashamed of it. You are in good company. Shout it out and help lift the shame for all the other women who have also decided that every child should be a wanted child."
Like a 21st Century prophetess, Caro's sermon has been heard and adopted by the culture, as piranhas gathering around the carcass of a dying system of morality.
Long gone are the old excuses, for example, a fetus is not yet a human being. With growing scientific and medical knowledge such nonsense is no longer sustainable but that does not matter. In full recognition of unborn babies being fully human and with the knowledge that their life can continue outside the womb, the moral belief is, 'their deaths are justified'. In other words, human life is not inherently valuable and untouchable but is subject to the worth we attach. A life is worth preserving only because personal interest declares it so.
The sadistic irony amidst the arguments of a woman's right and health is that the majority of aborted babies are girls. In this age of advocating gender equality, most children who are killed in the womb are female. It is also the case that many other babies are aborted because they have been deemed as having some kind of medical condition, as though a disability or illness gives him less right to live.
In 2018, The Age (a secular Australian newspaper) reported a story concerning new research conducted by a secular Australian University, finding a link between abortion and the mistreatment of women.
"A phenomenon of "missing girls" could be afflicting Victoria, as a study of more than a million births suggests some parents could be aborting unborn female babies or undergoing embryo selection overseas in order to have a son.
If nature was left to take its course, it is expected that for every 100 girls born, about 105 boys will be brought into the world.
But in findings researchers say indicate "systematic discrimination against females starts in the womb", mothers within some key migrant communities are recording sons at rates of 122 and 125 for every 100 daughters in later pregnancies.
Lead researcher Dr Kristina Edvardsson from Melbourne's La Trobe University said it showed gender bias persisted in Victoria, despite laws banning people from choosing the sex of their child, other than for medical reasons.
"We believe that some women may be terminating pregnancies after discovering they are expecting a girl and in other cases are travelling overseas to access non-medical sex selection services through assisted reproduction," she said.
These children have no grave, but they are not forgotten. I believe that one day there will be justice for these little ones, for not one act of injustice will remain unmet and without due consequence. I also remember that the miracle of life can only be equaled by God's miracle of mercy. Christians ought to grieve over the insane and out of control dehumanisation project that is sweeping Western nations, and there is a righteous anger to be spoken. Our shouts, however, must center on a cross and declare good news of forgiveness. Despite the furor of public cheers and political congratulations, many women do regret their abortion and carry with them guilt and shame for many years to come. We, if we are truly Christian, have come to know and experience the mercy of God in our own lives, and we mustn't let our anger rob our hearts of God's mercy.
The story we speak is better than those cries to kill. Appropriately, t is a story about another unwanted child. At his birth, the Government attempted to interfere by sending local authorities to his town in order to find the newborn and have him killed. He was saved by his mum and dad fleeing, leaving the country and finding asylum in another land. Thirty-three years later, the feverish shouts could be heard all over the city, 'Crucify him, Crucify him'. The public wanted it, and the Government approved. Little did they know that through this one death, God was bringing justice and mercy. The perfect Son of God was heaping on himself the sin of the world so that God might remove our sin and shame.
This is an age of outrage, and at times with some justification. In all the noise, hearing shouts to take the lives of innocence, the Christian message is about One who gave up his life for the guilty. We may not shout, but we can speak His name with love and kindness, with clarity and grace.