The Virtual Melbourne March for the Babies 2021
The so-called health measures to protect human life and the vulnerable by governments during the Covid-19 pandemic have excluded the unborn. Last year four South Australian babies died because covid border closures prevented them from being flown to Melbourne for heart treatment. Also in 2020, a Northern NSW soon-to-be mother lost one of her unborn twins due to the Queensland border closure at the time.
The singular focus of crushing covid cases to save lives has put lives at risk for other health reasons, including the mental and physical wellbeing of children losing so much of their early life experience being locked inside. We want a better and freer world for the next generation, plus we want them to be able to be born.
The destruction of life as we knew it over the past 18 months, especially here in the state of Victoria where a path back to normal is certainly not approaching anytime soon has also seen many questions if it is worth bringing children into this world gone mad? The answer is we can never give up on life: life, humanity and this earth are all beautiful things worth cherishing and protecting even in the darkest of times.
About the March for the Babies
The annual March of the Babies in Victoria cherishes all human life and advocates for the protection of all life, including the unborn, disabled, and vulnerable. It occurs on the first Saturday of October as close to the anniversary of the passing of the Abortion Law Reform Act 2008 in Victoria which allows abortion up until birth. The Health Minister in 2008 who championed this legislation was Daniel Andrews, the same person who now as Premier claims he is about protecting human life.
Because of the Andrews Government’s sixth lockdown, the Melbourne March for the Babies 2021 scheduled for Saturday 9th October for the second year running had to be held virtually with a livestream taking place during the traditional march time between 1pm and 3pm AEDT. You can view the livestream replay on Vimeo. Speakers include Federal Nationals MP George Christensen who is tabling a private member’s bill in the House of Representatives the Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2021.
Victoria Liberal MLC Bernie Finn is the President of March for the Babies and leads march proceedings every year. Elected to the Victorian Upper House in 2006 Bernie was one of the firm no votes on the 2008 abortion bill.
The Marches that took place in real life pre-pandemic saw the thousand strong peaceful diverse crowd march from Treasury Gardens to outside the Victorian Parliament on Spring Street. There was always a counter-protest which was made up of members of the Sex/Reason Party including Fiona Patten, years in which the Socialist Alternative attended the counter-protest the crowd was much more aggressive, and in 2013 violently attacked marchers.
Speakers at the March over the years have included women who’ve suffered lifelong health issues due to being pressured into an abortion. Women whose mothers considered an abortion but chose life for them. Interstate and overseas pro-life MPs and activists also frequently speak. The March always begins with the signing of the Australian National Anthem and ends with a rendition of Amazing Grace.
Sadly since the passage of Victoria’s Abortion Law Reform Act 2008 there has been a domino effect with abortion allowed up until birth in all Australian states and territories. Furthermore, all Australian states have enacted legislation creating 150-meter exclusion zones around abortion clinics preventing people from providing information to women entering the clinic about alternatives to abortion. Nearly 100,000 babies are killed every year in Australia from abortions.
The legalization of euthanasia/assisted dying around Australia removing life protections for the elderly and vulnerable has been the next domino to fall around Australian jurisdictions. The Australian state which first legalized euthanasia was of course Victoria under Premier Dan Andrews (the same man now who claims he is the protector of the old and the vulnerable) with the passage of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 which came into effect in June 2019. At present NSW is the only Australian state that hasn’t legalized euthanasia but has legislation before its parliament.
Pro-Life Victories in the United States
The dismantling of legal protections for the unborn and vulnerable in Australia over the past decade has demoralized many pro-life activists. But in the United States during the same period, significant pro-life advancements have been made. This has been made possible in part a growing youth pro-life movement as the horrors of what occurs in abortion clinics has been exposed for more to see and be disgusted by.
The ability of US states to legislate protections for the unborn have been crippled by the US Supreme Court decision Roe vs Wade in 1973 which invented a right to an abortion in the US Consitution based on their invented right to privacy based in turn on their interpretation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
With former President Donald Trump nominating and the US Senate confirming three Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett who believe in an originalist and textualist interpretation of the US Constitution there is much hope that the invented right to abortion will be overturned. This would return the legislative authority to protect the unborn to democratically elected state legislatures.
The passage of the Texas Heartbeat Act this year which prohibits abortion after a heartbeat is detected normally six weeks after a child is conceived is being challenged by the pro-abortion lobby in the courts including by the Biden Administration’s Justice Department. The US Supreme Court denied an emergency application to block the Texas Act from coming into effect. After numerous challenges to the Act make their way up the US Federal Courts it will return to the Supreme Court who will have to decide whether or not to overturn Roe vs Wade.
Other US States such as Alabama and Mississippi have also increased their legislative protections for the unborn. The trend in US states is the complete opposite to that which has occurred in Australian states and terrorties. That should give advocates for life here hope that if the Australian public learns more about the truth of abortion the tide can be turned.
