Archbishop Fisher: The new abortion law is a defeat for humanity.

Today is a very dark day for New South Wales. The new abortion law is a defeat for humanity.

The Abortion Law Reform Act 2019 may be the worst law passed in New South Wales in modern times because it represents such a dramatic abdication of responsibility to protect the most vulnerable members of our community. Since the abolition of capital punishment in New South Wales in 1955, this is the only deliberate killing ever legalised in our state.

The Act, as passed by both Houses of Parliament was subject to a number of amendments debated over many days, but the amendments allowed do not make women or their unborn babies any safer, nor protect the conscience rights of medical professionals, nor provide distressed pregnant women with any support or alternatives to abortion.

I thank those Members of Parliament who spoke so eloquently in favour of women and children and against this law and the process that led to it, and who worked tirelessly on amendments to make this bad law a little better. I also thank the tens of thousands of people who attended rallies, maintained a vigil outside Parliament House even in heavy rain, contacted their local members, made submissions to the committee inquiry, or prayed that this law might not pass.

“Since the abolition of capital punishment in New South Wales in 1955, this is the only deliberate killing ever legalised in our state.”
Archbishop Anthony Fischer

Your efforts have not been in vain, nor can they come to an end. None of us will forget what has happened this month.

Even though abortion on demand right up to birth has now been formally legalised in this state, our commitment to life continues. Care for pregnant women, new mothers and their babies will still be available through Church agencies and pro-life organisations. The Catholic Church, other Christian churches, people of other faiths and women and men of goodwill will continue to work together to turn our culture around so that every vulnerable woman and baby is supported and abortion becomes unthinkable. We can still put an end to the scourge of abortion in this state by making it unnecessary, no matter what the law says.

Please pray for the conversion particularly of those parliamentarians who claim to be of Catholic or other Christian faith and yet supported this appalling law. Pray and work for better leaders. Pray for our state as it enters this deadly new territory. Pray above all for the safety of unborn babies and their mothers in NSW — for we “Love Them Both”.