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Intention

To recognise that human worth does not depend on whether we are wanted, healthy, or independent. It comes from our Creator.

Scripture

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

“My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

– Psalm 139:13–16

Reflection

On 9 August 2021, I rose in the House of Representatives and moved that the Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill be read a second time.

The language of Parliament is formal. Almost clinical. But behind that bill was a human question so basic that it should never have needed to be asked:

What do we owe a child who is born alive?

The bill sought to ensure that a baby born alive following an attempted abortion would receive medical care and treatment. In other words, that child would be treated as a patient and a human being, not abandoned as the unwanted outcome of a failed procedure.

I knew the bill would be attacked. Anything touching abortion brings political fury. Yet this was not an abstract argument about competing rights. A child had been born. The child was alive. The question was whether we would recognise our duty to care.

As I stood in Parliament, I knew that laws can recognise human dignity, but they do not create it.

Psalm 139 tells us who does.

“You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”

Before a doctor sees the child, God sees. Before a parliament debates the child’s rights, God knows. Before the child has a name, a birth certificate or a voice, that child is already the work of his hands.

That is the foundation of the sanctity of life. Human worth does not depend on whether we are wanted, healthy, independent or politically convenient. It comes from our Creator.

My original bill did not become law. It lapsed when Parliament was dissolved. But the moral question did not disappear.

Now the fight has returned to Parliament, and CitizenGO is launching a campaign to rally Australians behind the Born Alive Bill and urge our elected representatives to protect these vulnerable children.

We should pray for this bill to pass. But we must also pray for something deeper.

Australia needs to recover its sight. We have learned to hide the unborn child behind careful words and clinical language.

Psalm 139 tears that curtain away. In the womb there is a child, fearfully and wonderfully made, already seen and known by God.

No parliamentary vote can make that true.

It can only recognise the truth, or turn away from it.

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Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, Creator and giver of all life, we praise you for every child formed by your loving hand.

Forgive our nation for failing to protect innocent life. Open our eyes to see every unborn child as you see them: known, loved and made in your image.

Pour out your Holy Spirit upon our parliamentarians. Grant them wisdom, courage and fortitude to protect children born alive. Strengthen doctors and nurses to care for both mother and child. Unite your Church in prayer, compassion and courageous witness.

Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Author Bio

George Christensen is the Australian Campaign Director of CitizenGO. He served three terms as a federal Member of Parliament representing Dawson, Queensland, from 2010 to 2022. He was the first to introduce the Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill into Parliament in 2021.

He holds a Master of Theology from Charles Sturt University and is the founder of Nation First. He is a committed Catholic and advocate for religious freedom and free speech.

Prayer Points for Babies Born Alive Left to Die 2026

1. The Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2026 to pass federal parliament. Micah 6:7–8

2. A change of hearts and minds towards LIFE across the nation. Psalm 139:13–16

3. Many to see the Baby Booties display on Parliament House’s lawns and many churches to be inspired to show the Born Alive Left to Die film. Hebrews 4:16

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Join Us for Our Nightly Zoom Prayer Call:

DATES: From Monday, 10 August to Wednesday, 19 August

TIME: 8 pm AEST; 7:30 pm ACST; 6 pm AWST

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DATE: Thursday, 13 August 2026

TIME: 7:30 pm AEST; 7 pm ACST; 5:30 pm AWST

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Note: The Canberra Declaration will not hold our regular nightly Zoom prayer meeting on 13 August. Instead, in conjunction with the ACL and several other Christian organisations, we encourage everyone to join in this one-hour prayer meeting.

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