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Senator Babet and the 17 senators who supported his motion of urgency for medical care for unwanted babies born after a failed abortion are to be congratulated.

A motion by Senator Ralph Babet to acknowledge that babies born alive after an abortion deserve medical care was defeated in the Senate 18 to 32 yesterday, Tuesday 20 August.

Four Liberal and 28 Greens and Labor senators united to oppose the motion of urgency acknowledging this humanitarian crisis.

Senator Babet’s Opening Speech

In his opening speech, Senator Ralph Babet began, “This should not be a contentious or controversial concept. It is the very minimum of decency, the very least that we should do as people who like to think of ourselves as civilised.”

He continued, “I cannot for the life of me understand how we can bang on every single day in this place about the importance of human rights while allowing the most vulnerable human beings to be treated like garbage.”

Widely viewed on social media was the occasion when Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young made a vomit gesture at Senator Babet while he spoke these words,

“Whatever one’s view is on the merits or otherwise of abortion, once there has been a birth, medical practitioners are dealing with a living, human being. A person. An Australian. Who should have the same rights under law as you or I.”

Appalling conduct from @sarahinthesen8 MOCKING Senator Ralph Babet as he speaks of the suffering of Australian newborns left to die on metal kidney dishes. pic.twitter.com/0Vj8DSGAQL

— Dr Joanna Howe (@ProfJoannaHowe) August 20, 2024

Babet continued, “A society that refuses to care about the suffering and death of babies is one which is destined to fall.”

“To be unmoved by the plight of a helpless child, especially when it is within your power to render assistance, is to lose your own humanity. It is evidence of a sickness at the very core of one’s own being.

“What kind of darkness has overtaken the hearts of people when they can march through city streets chanting for the right to kill a baby in the womb while remaining silent on the right of babies born alive and left to die.”

Motion Denied

Before this motion of urgency, it was somewhat unknown how the Senate would respond to the plight of babies born alive after an abortion. Now that the Senate has been forced to vote on the issue, it is on public record.

BREAKING: 32 Senators just voted against giving equal treatment to all Australian newborns. Only 18 Senators voted for this. @AustralianLabor and @Greens voted unanimously against birth equality, as did 4 Liberals (Kovacic, Bragg, Hume and Birmingham). This is absolutely… pic.twitter.com/e5gCN72oOj

— Dr Joanna Howe (@ProfJoannaHowe) August 20, 2024

The list of the 18 supportive and 32 opposing senators is as follows:

Those in Support of the Motion:

Senator	Party
Wendy Askew	Liberal – TAS
Ralph Babet	UAP – VIC
Slade Brockman	Liberal – WA
Matthew Canavan	Nationals – QLD
Michaelia Cash	Liberal – WA
Jonathan Duniam	Liberal – TAS
David Fawcett	Liberal – SA
Pauline Hanson	PHON – QLD
Sarah Henderson	Liberal – VIC
Hollie Hughes	Liberal – NSW
Susan McDonald	Liberal – QLD
James McGrath	Liberal – QLD
Bridget McKenzie	Nationals – VIC
Andrew McLachlan	Liberal – SA
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price	CLP – NT
Matt O’Sullivan	Liberal – WA
Gerard Rennick	LNP – Queensland
Malcolm Roberts	PHON – QLD

 

Those Against the Motion:

Senator	Party
Penny Allman-Payne	Greens – QLD
Tim Ayres	Labor – NSW
Catryna Bilyk	Labor – TAS
Simon Birmingham	Liberal – SA
Andrew Bragg	Liberal – NSW
Carol Brown	Labor – TAS
Dorinda Cox	Greens – WA
Lisa Darmanin	Labor – VIC
Mehreen Faruqi	Greens – NSW
Katy Gallagher	Labor – ACT
Nita Green	Labor – QLD
Karen Grogan	Labor – SA
Sarah Hanson-Young	Greens – SA
Steph Hodgins-May	Greens – VIC
Jane Hume	Liberal – VIC
Maria Kovacic	Liberal – NSW
Sue Lines	Labor – WA
Jenny McAllister	Labor – NSW
Malarndirri McCarthy	Labor – NT
Nick McKim	Greens – TAS
David Pocock	IND – ACT
Louise Pratt	Labor – WA
David Shoebridge	Greens – NSW
Jordon Steele-John	Greens – WA
Glenn Sterle	Labor – WA
Jana Stewart	Labor – VIC
Tammy Tyrrell	IND – TAS
Anne Urquhart	Labor – TAS
Jess Walsh	Labor – VIC
Waters	Greens – QLD
Peter Whish-Wilson	Greens – TAS
Penny Wong	Labor – SA

False Claims and Deliberate Avoidance

In her passioned speech against the motion, Greens Senator Larissa Waters began, “I am appalled that once again we’re here debating women’s choices over their own bodies. Choices that are no one else’s to weigh in on.

“Senator Babet’s claims are incorrect. Late-term abortions resulting in a live foetus are extremely rare. And they only occur in situations of lethal foetal abnormalities or serious risks to the pregnant person.”

But it’s Waters’ grasp of reality that is appalling. Firstly, the motion is not talking about the mother’s body. To point out the obvious (apparently necessary), we are talking about live babies now separated from their mothers.

Second, these tragic occurrences are not “extremely rare”. Live births after a failed abortion average over one per week in Australia.

We are devoid of data for some states and territories. But statistics record that between 2010–2020, 724 babies in Queensland and Victoria were born alive and left to die.

That’s over one per week in these two states alone.

Also incorrect is Senator Waters’ claim that these live births “occur only in situations of lethal foetal abnormalities or serious risks to the pregnant person.”

Melissa Ohden was born alive after a failed abortion but has gone on to live a healthy life. As the BBC reported, “Melissa was placed among medical waste.

“That was, until a nurse heard her weak cries and slight movements.

“Melissa was rushed to an intensive care unit, where – against the odds – she survived.”

Melissa’s grandmother had pressured her daughter to have the abortion. Her grandmother was friends with the abortionist, and the two of them coerced Melissa’s birth mother to kill the baby in her womb. But Melissa survived the failed abortion.

Melissa explained, “Together they literally forced the abortion on my birth mother against her will.”

Melissa’s mother was not even aware that her baby had survived and was brought up by an adopted family. Now reunited, Melissa and her birth mother now see each other “as often as we possibly can”.

Those arguing against the motion and the Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022 claim it is unnecessary. The practices of abortionist doctors are all above board, there are no instances of neglect, and we should trust them and let them get on with their jobs.

The reality is that harrowing accounts such as midwife Louise Adsett at a Queensland parliamentary inquiry demonstrate otherwise.

Moving Forward

In his speech, Senator Babet articulated his position with clarity and grace. He revealed his vision for Australia with these words,

“I think abortion should be unthinkable. I want more than a change to the laws of this land.

“I want a change in the hearts of the Australian people. Where abortion disappears.

“Not because politicians made it illegal. But because our consciences were reawakened and we agreed that it was abominable.”

Senator Babet is correct that real, lasting change cannot come from Canberra alone. We must see a change in the hearts of the Australian people.

We have a long way to go to see godly righteousness in the area of sexuality, family and children reclaimed in Australia.

But the task to make disciples of Jesus by teaching them to obey what he commanded (including in the areas of of sexuality, family and children) is not beyond the Church.

After all, Jesus has given His Church His full authority to do the task (Matthew 28:18–20). But disciples of Jesus have a lot of work to do.

The question put before the Senate to reject or accept read,

“The need for the Senate to recognise that at least one baby is born alive every 7 days following a failed abortion and left to die, and that Australia’s health care system is enabling these inhumane deaths; and for the Senate to condemn this practice, noting that babies born alive as a result of a failed abortion deserve care.”

In his speech, Babet asked, “Now imagine if the Senate rejected such a proposal.

“What would it say if you shrugged your shoulders and turned your back on a newborn baby, unmoved by his or her cry, and unconvinced by his or her humanity?”

Now that the votes are on public record, we no longer have to imagine.