The Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc response to the Victorian Law Reform Commission’s (VLRC) report on the law of abortion.

If Australia were a theocracy, a conscience vote on abortion would be the norm. However, we are a secular democracy. Politicians are obliged under that model to consider the informed wishes of the public. They must also take into account whether any proposed law is gender discriminatory and ensure the good outweighs any harm. Most importantly, empirical evidence and not personal belief has to be the decider. Any politician who cannot accept these criteria has only one option and that is to abstain.

Abortion is a stand alone issue, making ethical deliberation complicated for some. This leads to subjective appraisal always attempting to override reasoned assessment. It is an easy path to overplay abortion as a moral concern even though, in doing so; the ensuing consequences have a history steeped in disaster for fecund females.

President of the Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc, David Nicholls said. “The personal choice of abortion does not need the added pressure of having ambiguous moralising laws in the background. Parliament is duty-bound to remove all relevant sanctions from the statute books.”

Of the three Models presented by the VLRC, it is only Model C that: 

says all Victorians are created equal

says the medical procedure must be regulated like all others

trusts women and their partners to negotiate the moral issues

delivers the respect and support that all women and couples facing a problem pregnancy deserve

The choice for politicians is clear.

Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc
Private Mail Bag 6
MAITLAND SA 5573

Phone: (08) 8835 2269
Website: https://atheistfoundation.org.au
E-Mail: [email protected]

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