Sydney Anglicans: The Sex-Selection Abortion Bill Should Unite Parliament
by Archbishop Kanishka Raffel
I have written to the Premier, the Honourable Chris Minns, and the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, the Honourable Penny Sharpe, to express support for a bill to prevent sex-selective abortions due to be brought before Parliament shortly.
The Anglican Church in Sydney has consistently opposed legislation that has the effect of expanding access to abortion. We hold that abortion is not a neutral moral choice but involves the loss of defenceless human life. Nevertheless, we grieve for mothers who see no other option, affirming that in our loving God, there is forgiveness and boundless goodness and mercy.
But regardless of the broader debates about abortion itself, this Bill should unite Parliament against sex-selective abortion, which disproportionately targets unborn girls.
A recent study undertaken by Edith Cowan University and Curtin University found that sex-selective abortion is widespread in New South Wales.
In my letter, I appealed to the government with these words: “My hope is that those who have in-principle support for abortion rights, on whatever ground, would nevertheless see merit in supporting this bill to safeguard our shared commitment to the dignity and equality of girl children. Far from empowering women, sex selective abortion reflects deeply entrenched cultural prejudice and belongs to crude discriminatory paradigms that contemporary and civilised societies have long sought to leave behind.”
For Christians, this concern is grounded in our commitment to the sanctity of human life and the inherent equality of men and women. Scripture affirms that both male and female are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), a conviction that underpins our commitment to the dignity of every human.
I urge Sydney Anglicans to join me in praying that the government will lead the Parliament in taking the small but vital step of supporting this bill.
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Republished with thanks to Sydney Anglicans. Image courtesy of Adobe.
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