The pro-life movement has a problem

A pro-life critique of the anti-abortion movement. [2 Minute Read]

Written by Matthew Fischer, co-host of the Backbench Drivers podcast

Last April hundreds of Queenslanders gathered in the streets outside of Parliament House to participate in the annual ‘March for Life’ protest, organised by ‘Cherish Life Queensland’. The march, popularised by the annual Washington D.C march of the same name, rallied to defend the rights of the unborn currently being trampled in the sunshine state.

This year's iteration of the march was focused around opposition to the current Labor Government’s recent push to expand abortion access throughout the State. Premier Palaszczuk’s current effort to liberalise restrictions traces its origins back to 2018, when the 119-year-old “morality” section of Queensland’s criminal code was overturned - instantly legalising the barbaric practice of abortion.

The reform, heralded by feminists, social marxists and the radical left, introduced numerous deeply unpopular policies; including full-term abortion access (with only 5% of Queenslanders in agreement), babies being left to die when born alive during an abortion (10% approval among Queenslanders), sex-selection abortions (17% of Queenslanders in agreement), no counselling for vulnerable women (12% approval by Queenslanders), and forcing doctors to violate their conscience (with only 26% of Queenslanders in agreement).

I am strongly pro-life, I believe the governments policies regulating abortion should strictly adhere to Catholic social teaching.
So what is my problem with the pro-life movement?

My problem is that the same liberalism that lead to Australia’s current anti-life abortion laws have taken deep root in the pro-life movement, and it was plain to see at this years ‘March for Life’ protest.

The march began with a rally, headed by special guests Dr. Joanna Howe - a Professor of Law at the University of Adelaide, Senator for Queensland Matt Canavan, and former Senator for Queensland Amanda Stocker, who stood on the tray bed of a ute displaying a sign that declared “PRO-LIFE = PRO-WOMAN”.

This sentiment permeated the speeches, Mr. Canavan’s being a notable exception. Dr Howe mentioned her radical feminist past, with no mention of a change of heart, only that she had been woken up by a South Australian parliamentary debate surrounding babies being born alive during abortions and Dr. Howe boldly stated that the government should offer financial support and free childcare, amongst many other liberal talking points which would have fit right in at any leftist protest. The prevalence of this ideological liberalism continued in Mrs. Stocker’s address to the crowd, during which she made sure to point out the ‘hypocrisy’ of the ‘left's’ appeal to human rights in their advocation for abortion - before stating that the anti-abortion movement was “the real pro-choice movement, because we are the pro-real-choice”!

The rally, like most Australian centre-right political activities, was defensive, being reactive to and appealing to ideological liberalism and feminist thought. I appreciated the sentiment expressed by Senator Canavan: the pro-life movement must make the shift to its front foot, forgetting the current back-footed attempt to please a left wing which will never agree with us. It would do the broader pro-life movement well to internalise this advice.

I do not want to be a part of “the real pro-choice movement”, I am not a radical feminist - In fact, I want to be a part of whatever movement sits diametrically opposite the pro-choice movement, I want to be as far away as possible from feminist doctrine.

The pro-life movement must be proactive in advocating for the unborn. Have the leaders of the radically left-wing ‘pro-choice’ movement ever expressed concern for what pro-life Christian, right-wingers believe? No, absolutely not. Rather, they put forward their point of view boldly, without any concern for the negative opinion of their opposition - and guess what? Last I checked it wasn’t the tepid pro-life movement bending the legal code to their will nationwide.

The foundation of our opposition to mass slaughter of the unborn is our faith in Christ and the magisterium of His church, not belief in liberal-feminism - remembering and applying this is the only way Australia’s pro-life movement will have any chance at victory.