Australia Pro-Lifers Excited New Liberal Party Leader Tony Abbott Opposes Abortion
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
December 1, 2009
Canberra, Australia (LifeNews.com) — Australia pro-life advocates are excited that the new leader of the Liberal Party, conservative Catholic MP Tony Abbott, is pro-life on abortion. They say that, while he hasn’t made any policy promises to them, his past comments condemning abortion are encouraging.
Abbott has previously called the legalization of abortion a stain on the character and history of Australia.
Right to Life Australia president Veronica Andrews told the AAP news service that she hopes Abbot will use his position to speak out against abortion and euthanasia has the head of the Liberal Party.
"He hasn’t promised us anything for sure but we’re excited by the idea of Abbott," Andrews said. "I don’t think he’ll have the time to devote to our issue."
"We’d like to think we’d get one all the time from now on but I don’t think it’s likely," Andrews added about how rare it is that a leader of the party would be pro-life.
Andrews said former prime minister John Howard did not advance the pro-life themes Right to Life hoped he would and she told AAP that former opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull also did not share its opposition to the dangerous abortion drug RU 486.
On the other hand, Abbott was the nation’s health secretary in October 2006 when he refused to allow sales of the abortion drug, which has killed at least 13 women worldwide. The Australian parliament eventually overturned his decision.
In 2004, Abbott delivered a speech about the responsibility of Christians in politics.
"Christian politicians cannot check their faith into the parliamentary cloakroom and be otherwise indistinguishable from everyone else," he said. "Still, modern society is not a community of believers and the parliament is not the place to make rules for one."
Women’s Electoral Lobby chairwoman Eva Cox, an abortion advocate, was critical of Abbott’s ascension to the party leadership spot while Australian Christian Lobby managing director Jim Wallace dismissed the concerns.
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