Abortions are never justified (letter)

by Damian Wyld

News Weekly, September 19, 2009
Sir,

With new chapters in the abortion saga opening up, I am pleased to see reports from Queensland.

I was troubled, though, to read Dr David van Gend's take on the issue ("GP protests: we are doctors, not baby-killers", News Weekly, September 5, 2009).

His comment that "[doctors] need legal scrutiny to keep them honest, to ensure any abortion they perform is morally and medically justified" poses a question: when is an abortion morally or medically justified? The answer is simple - never.

Dr van Gend's references to "criminal limits on abortion" and the risk of doctors degenerating "into mere commercial killers" similarly imply that some abortions are warranted.

When we are willing to admit that some abortions may be justified, we open a very dangerous door. All that remains is to debate the permissible circumstances.

The sanctity of life is absolute and while we may, at times, be compelled to political pragmatism, we must never practise moral pragmatism.

Damian Wyld,
SA State President,
National Civic Council,
Frewville, SA