As the culture of death becomes ever more blatant, and seeks to extend its reach throughout the globe, the battle for life becomes ever more vital. On many fronts the abortion wars are being waged, and those who care about life need to be aware of these battles and enter into them.
Consider these four recent items. In the UK, the pro-death group Marie Stopes International has begun airing pro-abortion ads. Now along with lipsticks, cars and clothing, we have abortion being sold as just another consumer product. Get a new Toyota, buy some new jeans, and get this week only a half-price special on baby killing.
As one critic noted, “Marie Stopes centres are not advice centres but abortion factories. They fast-track women down a path to abortion, because they have an ideological commitment to abortion.” Abortion ads today, euthanasia ads tomorrow, and perhaps infanticide ads the following week.
The second item concerns the death of an eight-month unborn baby in a car accident in NSW recently. The pregnant mother survived the crash, and is now calling for a law change. Current homicide laws there do not apply to unborn babies.
But the NSW Attorney-General John Hatzistergos is resisting calls for a law change: “The issue of extending the definition of manslaughter or murder to include the death of an unborn child was examined by Justice Finlay in 2002. Following that review the recommendation was that the law not be extended to include circumstances where an unborn child dies in relation to those specific offences.”
But clearly this was an unborn-baby of the same age of those who are born prematurely. In such cases, a hospital will do everything possible to keep the baby alive. Yet here, this unborn baby is regarded as somehow less than human. Indeed, many journalists have foolishly spoken of the question of when life begins in this case!
But of course an eight-month unborn baby is alive, just as a seven-week, or seven-day, or seven-second unborn baby is alive. And there is no question about the baby being human as well. What else could he or she be? A carrot? A dingo? A piece of seaweed?
The confusion that abounds on this issue simply runs rampant. That is why the alternative media is needed to get the truth out about abortion and related issues. And that leads to a third recent item concerning the life issues. It seems that our government is officially banning or censoring some pro-life websites in Australia.
Here is how one news source begins the story: “Information gathered both by the ABC TV’s Four Corners program as well as a leaked list containing banned websites from the Australian Communications and Media Authority, shows that numerous anti-abortion sites are currently censored by the Australian Government.
“The websites are banned for depicting graphic material which is understood to be images and videos of abortion procedures. One website that is censored is ‘abortSA.com’, the website is run by Trevor Grace who was an anti-abortion candidate for South Australian Parliament in 2008.The website only recently became available to Australian web users when the websites’ hosting server was moved offshore. AbortionNO.com known for its graphic resources on abortion was also on the censor list.”
We expect police states to censor information which is not in line with state policy. We do not expect to see a democratic nation resorting to such totalitarian methods. This is a case of filtering out information which is deemed politically incorrect. All pro-lifers need to be aware of this and be prepared to take action.
Finally, late-term abortions have skyrocketed at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne after Victorian laws fully legalising abortion were passed in 2008. Three late-term abortions a week are now performed at the hospital. Doctors and nurses are feeling “traumatised” as a result. This even appeared on a Seven News segment (see link below).
The news item really botched the story, claiming almost all such abortions were necessary to save the life of the mother. This is in fact rarely the case, and both baby and mother are generally perfectly healthy. See more on late-term abortion here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2010/05/20/late-term-baby-killing/
As stated, the forces of death do not rest, and it is incumbent on those who love life to never rest as well, but to be fully involved in these various battles. As is often the case in the culture wars, the group which is most persistent and dedicated tends to win at the end of the day. So let us redouble our efforts for the sake of those without a voice and without the power to protect themselves.
21 Replies to “More Scenes from the Abortion Wars”
I am constantly left speechless at our society’s lack of care or even acknowledgment of the unborn. If this child was born there would be nothing short of a national outrage. Thank you for your posts, so important to address these issues… I pray that God hears us contending for this nation.
Helen Parker
I’d be interested to hear your views on the Steven Conroy’s web filtering ideas . . .
Chris Dixon
I fully support ISP-level filtering of porn. The question is whether this censoring of pro-life sites is an integral part of the government’s plans in this regard, or is an entirely separate situation.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Thanks Stephen
No, I think that one is a different one, and I believe the Australian one was pulled. But I stand to be corrected on both counts.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Hi Bill, I agree that filtering porn is good, but how do you stop governments abusing that power, as they have obviously done already by adding pro-life sites to the ‘black list’. I guess that as long as we have a relatively free blogosphere then sites that are being actively blocked for political reasons will become apparent.
Chris Dixon
The confusion that abounds on this issue simply runs rampant
I don’t know. I think, in their hearts, every single Australian man and woman knows that abortion is just plain wrong. They do not wish to admit it, that’s all.
I think the “confusion” is sought out and courted.
I am still trying to get over the fact that 42 million babies are aborted in the world every year (perhaps more???)
What, dear Lord, can we do????
Hilary Gilbert
Hi Bill, how does our government ban websites? If the ISP level web-filter is not yet up and running then how is it able to do it? Or is it at the moment just a case of the government having control over the hosting of websites by Australian ISP’s?
Ewan McDonald, Victoria
Thanks Hilary
45-50 million babies killed a year is the figure I have heard most often. But even if it is 40 or 30 million, that is still abominable.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Yes quite right Ewan. The government scheme is not even in place yet, so what is going on here?
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Thank you Bill for keeping us informed. Last night’s walk in Perth, organised by the Coalition for the Defence of Human Life, was the best attended in the twelve years since state sanctioned killing of babies in the womb began in W.A. The five pro life M.P.’s who addressed us {also 3 apologies} gave solid advice on writing to members and premiers. Examples were cited of important Bills in limbo for months, in favour of giving priority debating time to the euthanasia Bill. All who care should be active one way or another whether by researching what’s going on in our Parliaments, writing letters, marching, praying outside clinics or at home, or helping in some capacity those who assist women who need help to bring their babies to term. Let’s all do a part of the task and we can turn the tide.
Anna Cook
Even though the numbers of abortions around the world are absolutely horrific, I take some small comfort from knowing that our loving God has taken each one of these precious little ones into His eternal care.
George Kokonis
Did I mention this recently? Download an abortion coming. http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=156969
There is a strange idea that God doesn’t see, forgets or turns a blind eye, but he is an eternal being outside of time.
However there is a time that the cup of wrath fills up and then spills out in judgment, He may be slow to anger but it doesn’t mean he will never get angry, surely the time must be coming soon.
Rob Withall
Please pray for Trevor Grace. He was a candidate for “Save the Unborn” in the recent SA state elections on 20 March 2010 (not 2008).
His election website, http://www.abortsa.com, is hosted in the US. It is currently not affected by our laws – but the Classification Board was recently asked to classify the site after ACMA received complaints.
The Board has ruled that photographs of aborted babies on the website, plus an emotional description of partial birth abortion by a nurse who participated in one, together with diagrams of the partial birth abortion procedure, “need an adult perspective”. As a result, the website has been classified R18+.
By contrast, the film “Schindler’s List”, which has disturbing scenes of dead bodies of Jews in the Nazi Holocaust, has been classified M. The Classification Board recently classified the DVD of the extreme horror-teen-sex-rape-torture film “Salo” as R18+.
The abortsa.com website has strong warnings before the photographs of aborted babies become visible, but these warnings are insufficient for an R18+ rating. ACMA requires the website to block viewers who cannot prove their age (eg by giving a PIN to those who can prove they are 18 or over).
Ros Phillips
Many thanks indeed Ros for the updates and clarification.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Who designs Tshirts? I’d like to get one printed with the words: “AUSTRALIA’S HOLOCAUST” with the number of abortions performed each year on the Tshirt!
Lots of people knew about the death camps during the WWII but CHOSE to turn a blind eye. We must as believers take whatever steps are necessary to defend the defenceless.
We must become a strong voice together.
Michael Bourke
What most people do not realise is that abortion is a personal and corporate Blasphemous act against God. The pre-meditated killing of child whether for money or personal choice “sic” involves the extraction and murder of one of our own species relying solely on the protection of the mother and hopefully the support of the father. A situation not allways there in many cases.
If we were to go back through history we would find that a large proportion of our forefathers and mothers and consequently us, exist solely because we are descendants of offspring conceived externally to marriage by whatever cause. If we could remove all of us so born, we would no doubt remove millions of good christians from this planet.
The child that has been killed by abortion is not just an empty temple of the spirit but contains the spirit itself that by an act directly against God has been barred from entering this world. What God has joined let no man put asunder. This same rule applies.
God said I knew you before you were in the womb.
Yet the most dangerous place in the world today is in the womb of an american mother.
However before we castigate all women we should look at the historically endless persecution of the unwed mother often at it’s most virulent by the wealthy father and indirectly by the church?
Many churches predominately catholic may have preached the message of God in terms of forgiveness yet they were also responsible for the creation of the terrible social, unforgiving and self righteous atmosphere created against the unwed mother often to the point where many so-called pagan communities provided better support.
In most points of the abortion argument it is this persecution and the backyard abortions thought necessary at the time to which the abortion advocates turn to enforce their point of view. However times are changing particularly with pregnancy support centres (often unfunded), excellent medical care and support (though not enough of it) and adoption, where there are waiting lists that can never be filled. (there is absolutely no need for a late term abortion unless the womens life is in danger and that is extremely rare).
If all the support options were better funded then perhaps we could honestly say that we have made some christian improvements and show the better way . But when the abortion industry has access to far greater gov’t funds and an earning point from death they will always be able to live off of past failures.
In many countries now abortion has become a fall back option and is viewed as nothing more than a sexual accessory and that will occur as long as no “responsibility sex” is the accepted norm which is promoted and even taught in our society today.
It’s a long road back.
Dennis Newland
I have just read an item from a person signing themselves as a free thinker.
If an astronaut landed on mars and found a three month old fetus alive and nestled in a warm cave would they say they have discovered life???
Dennis Newland
Thanks Dennis
I am with you on the abortion bit of your earlier comment but less so on your remarks about unwed mothers. If anything, today most churches don’t even seem to care if a parent is married or not – all in direct violation of clear biblical teaching. Sure, we need to show compassion and help to single mothers, and most churches are helping them greatly, and ministries like Focus on the Family have lots of resources for such folk. But the church must never compromise on the importance of marriage, or weaken its stance on adultery and fornication.
We can help people in the condition they find themselves in, while not backing down on God’s clearly-stated ideal and intentions for human sexuality.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Hi Bill
I don’t think I meant what it appears has been concluded from my comment. Firstly I was presenting the hardships of single mothers of times gone by, not really condoning it.
Yes marriage is the most sanctified of institutions but I know the persuasiveness of the male and I am not so blind that I totally blame a woman for succumbing to such pressures. Albeit some do seem to make it an occupation. The abortion industry nearly always site the dangers of the backstreet abortion and preach that women deserve better. But that doesn’t have to mean the death of the child. However when you take away the penalty and nullify the fault as in crime it increases the activity and becomes the new norm.
Education is the key and has been found to work but funding has been removed on many occasions specifically in America generally under pressure from vested monetary interests.
If you lived in a staunchly catholic region of Ireland a hundred years ago (or less), wore your scarf in penitence at the sacrifice of Jesus it is still likely that you would not have helped a woman who has fallen and who would stand every chance of being an outcast suffering poverty starvation and neglect. No person specifically the innocent child deserves that.
Why are they so consumed with the mote in their sisters eye when they have a log in your own.
When the woman cast before Jesus was condemned for adultery she may already have been pregnant but he forgave her against the wishes of the none too sinless mob. But in doing so gave her a commandment to SIN NO MORE.
What I have said in my earlier remark is that abortion is what it is. It’s murder and when the women of this world realise that instead of the spin surrounding the perceived process of merely eliminating a blob, things may take a turn for the better. And with love and kindness the woman may find the love of Jesus. And the child may one day have the presence of a father. With abortion there is no turning back and most women suffer horribly from self condemnation through their latter years.
Yes God has a clearly stated ideal but satan and his misguided troops are doing their best to eradicate that ideal and they have an advantage of teaching our children from an early age, aided in their complicity by that little box? Panoramic screen that sits in the lounge room.
God bless
Dennis Newland
Hi Bill, I recently attended a pro-life dinner where the guest speaker was Trevor Grace. Regarding his website abortsa.com he told us that it had always been hosted by an overseas server and that what the Australian government authorities had done was to put an “R” rating on it because of the graphic images. He said that if it had been hosted by an Australian server he would have been required to incorporate some kind of mechanism by which those under 18 could not access the images. Because of the technical difficulties of complying with that it would have in effect meant the website would have had to be shut down. But what the “R” rating does mean is that Trevor’s website is banned from being accessed by any Australian government school or library computer, which leads to the absurd situation whereby a teenager can get an abortion but the government won’t let teenagers look at a website that is about trying to inform them of what an abortion actually is!
I am constantly left speechless at our society’s lack of care or even acknowledgment of the unborn. If this child was born there would be nothing short of a national outrage. Thank you for your posts, so important to address these issues… I pray that God hears us contending for this nation.
Helen Parker
I’d be interested to hear your views on the Steven Conroy’s web filtering ideas . . .
Chris Dixon
Hi Peter
Has the weblink died (due to filtering?)
or should it be:
http://www.abortionno.org/
God Bless
Stephen Hatton
Thanks Chris
I fully support ISP-level filtering of porn. The question is whether this censoring of pro-life sites is an integral part of the government’s plans in this regard, or is an entirely separate situation.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Thanks Stephen
No, I think that one is a different one, and I believe the Australian one was pulled. But I stand to be corrected on both counts.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Hi Bill, I agree that filtering porn is good, but how do you stop governments abusing that power, as they have obviously done already by adding pro-life sites to the ‘black list’. I guess that as long as we have a relatively free blogosphere then sites that are being actively blocked for political reasons will become apparent.
Chris Dixon
The confusion that abounds on this issue simply runs rampant
I don’t know. I think, in their hearts, every single Australian man and woman knows that abortion is just plain wrong. They do not wish to admit it, that’s all.
I think the “confusion” is sought out and courted.
I am still trying to get over the fact that 42 million babies are aborted in the world every year (perhaps more???)
What, dear Lord, can we do????
Hilary Gilbert
Hi Bill, how does our government ban websites? If the ISP level web-filter is not yet up and running then how is it able to do it? Or is it at the moment just a case of the government having control over the hosting of websites by Australian ISP’s?
Ewan McDonald, Victoria
Thanks Hilary
45-50 million babies killed a year is the figure I have heard most often. But even if it is 40 or 30 million, that is still abominable.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Yes quite right Ewan. The government scheme is not even in place yet, so what is going on here?
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Thank you Bill for keeping us informed. Last night’s walk in Perth, organised by the Coalition for the Defence of Human Life, was the best attended in the twelve years since state sanctioned killing of babies in the womb began in W.A. The five pro life M.P.’s who addressed us {also 3 apologies} gave solid advice on writing to members and premiers. Examples were cited of important Bills in limbo for months, in favour of giving priority debating time to the euthanasia Bill. All who care should be active one way or another whether by researching what’s going on in our Parliaments, writing letters, marching, praying outside clinics or at home, or helping in some capacity those who assist women who need help to bring their babies to term. Let’s all do a part of the task and we can turn the tide.
Anna Cook
Even though the numbers of abortions around the world are absolutely horrific, I take some small comfort from knowing that our loving God has taken each one of these precious little ones into His eternal care.
George Kokonis
Did I mention this recently? Download an abortion coming.
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=156969
There is a strange idea that God doesn’t see, forgets or turns a blind eye, but he is an eternal being outside of time.
However there is a time that the cup of wrath fills up and then spills out in judgment, He may be slow to anger but it doesn’t mean he will never get angry, surely the time must be coming soon.
Rob Withall
Please pray for Trevor Grace. He was a candidate for “Save the Unborn” in the recent SA state elections on 20 March 2010 (not 2008).
His election website, http://www.abortsa.com, is hosted in the US. It is currently not affected by our laws – but the Classification Board was recently asked to classify the site after ACMA received complaints.
The Board has ruled that photographs of aborted babies on the website, plus an emotional description of partial birth abortion by a nurse who participated in one, together with diagrams of the partial birth abortion procedure, “need an adult perspective”. As a result, the website has been classified R18+.
By contrast, the film “Schindler’s List”, which has disturbing scenes of dead bodies of Jews in the Nazi Holocaust, has been classified M. The Classification Board recently classified the DVD of the extreme horror-teen-sex-rape-torture film “Salo” as R18+.
The abortsa.com website has strong warnings before the photographs of aborted babies become visible, but these warnings are insufficient for an R18+ rating. ACMA requires the website to block viewers who cannot prove their age (eg by giving a PIN to those who can prove they are 18 or over).
Ros Phillips
Many thanks indeed Ros for the updates and clarification.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Who designs Tshirts? I’d like to get one printed with the words: “AUSTRALIA’S HOLOCAUST” with the number of abortions performed each year on the Tshirt!
Lots of people knew about the death camps during the WWII but CHOSE to turn a blind eye. We must as believers take whatever steps are necessary to defend the defenceless.
We must become a strong voice together.
Michael Bourke
What most people do not realise is that abortion is a personal and corporate Blasphemous act against God. The pre-meditated killing of child whether for money or personal choice “sic” involves the extraction and murder of one of our own species relying solely on the protection of the mother and hopefully the support of the father. A situation not allways there in many cases.
If we were to go back through history we would find that a large proportion of our forefathers and mothers and consequently us, exist solely because we are descendants of offspring conceived externally to marriage by whatever cause. If we could remove all of us so born, we would no doubt remove millions of good christians from this planet.
The child that has been killed by abortion is not just an empty temple of the spirit but contains the spirit itself that by an act directly against God has been barred from entering this world. What God has joined let no man put asunder. This same rule applies.
God said I knew you before you were in the womb.
Yet the most dangerous place in the world today is in the womb of an american mother.
However before we castigate all women we should look at the historically endless persecution of the unwed mother often at it’s most virulent by the wealthy father and indirectly by the church?
Many churches predominately catholic may have preached the message of God in terms of forgiveness yet they were also responsible for the creation of the terrible social, unforgiving and self righteous atmosphere created against the unwed mother often to the point where many so-called pagan communities provided better support.
In most points of the abortion argument it is this persecution and the backyard abortions thought necessary at the time to which the abortion advocates turn to enforce their point of view. However times are changing particularly with pregnancy support centres (often unfunded), excellent medical care and support (though not enough of it) and adoption, where there are waiting lists that can never be filled. (there is absolutely no need for a late term abortion unless the womens life is in danger and that is extremely rare).
If all the support options were better funded then perhaps we could honestly say that we have made some christian improvements and show the better way . But when the abortion industry has access to far greater gov’t funds and an earning point from death they will always be able to live off of past failures.
In many countries now abortion has become a fall back option and is viewed as nothing more than a sexual accessory and that will occur as long as no “responsibility sex” is the accepted norm which is promoted and even taught in our society today.
It’s a long road back.
Dennis Newland
I have just read an item from a person signing themselves as a free thinker.
If an astronaut landed on mars and found a three month old fetus alive and nestled in a warm cave would they say they have discovered life???
Dennis Newland
Thanks Dennis
I am with you on the abortion bit of your earlier comment but less so on your remarks about unwed mothers. If anything, today most churches don’t even seem to care if a parent is married or not – all in direct violation of clear biblical teaching. Sure, we need to show compassion and help to single mothers, and most churches are helping them greatly, and ministries like Focus on the Family have lots of resources for such folk. But the church must never compromise on the importance of marriage, or weaken its stance on adultery and fornication.
We can help people in the condition they find themselves in, while not backing down on God’s clearly-stated ideal and intentions for human sexuality.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Hi Bill
I don’t think I meant what it appears has been concluded from my comment. Firstly I was presenting the hardships of single mothers of times gone by, not really condoning it.
Yes marriage is the most sanctified of institutions but I know the persuasiveness of the male and I am not so blind that I totally blame a woman for succumbing to such pressures. Albeit some do seem to make it an occupation. The abortion industry nearly always site the dangers of the backstreet abortion and preach that women deserve better. But that doesn’t have to mean the death of the child. However when you take away the penalty and nullify the fault as in crime it increases the activity and becomes the new norm.
Education is the key and has been found to work but funding has been removed on many occasions specifically in America generally under pressure from vested monetary interests.
If you lived in a staunchly catholic region of Ireland a hundred years ago (or less), wore your scarf in penitence at the sacrifice of Jesus it is still likely that you would not have helped a woman who has fallen and who would stand every chance of being an outcast suffering poverty starvation and neglect. No person specifically the innocent child deserves that.
Why are they so consumed with the mote in their sisters eye when they have a log in your own.
When the woman cast before Jesus was condemned for adultery she may already have been pregnant but he forgave her against the wishes of the none too sinless mob. But in doing so gave her a commandment to SIN NO MORE.
What I have said in my earlier remark is that abortion is what it is. It’s murder and when the women of this world realise that instead of the spin surrounding the perceived process of merely eliminating a blob, things may take a turn for the better. And with love and kindness the woman may find the love of Jesus. And the child may one day have the presence of a father. With abortion there is no turning back and most women suffer horribly from self condemnation through their latter years.
Yes God has a clearly stated ideal but satan and his misguided troops are doing their best to eradicate that ideal and they have an advantage of teaching our children from an early age, aided in their complicity by that little box? Panoramic screen that sits in the lounge room.
God bless
Dennis Newland
Hi Bill, I recently attended a pro-life dinner where the guest speaker was Trevor Grace. Regarding his website abortsa.com he told us that it had always been hosted by an overseas server and that what the Australian government authorities had done was to put an “R” rating on it because of the graphic images. He said that if it had been hosted by an Australian server he would have been required to incorporate some kind of mechanism by which those under 18 could not access the images. Because of the technical difficulties of complying with that it would have in effect meant the website would have had to be shut down. But what the “R” rating does mean is that Trevor’s website is banned from being accessed by any Australian government school or library computer, which leads to the absurd situation whereby a teenager can get an abortion but the government won’t let teenagers look at a website that is about trying to inform them of what an abortion actually is!
Ewan McDonald, Victoria.