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The Ethical Crisis in our Parliaments

MUST SEE VIDEO
The issues regarding the Victorian Abortion law were well explored at the Conscience Laws and Healthcare Conference held in Melbourne July 25, 2009. 
For video of proceedings
including a powerful video of Dr Lachlan Dunjey’s presentation.  <click>  
For written speech <click>

The Ethical Crisis in our Parliaments

Recent atrocious laws about abortion and embryonic stem cell research only passed by one or two votes.  Will the same happen with euthanasia, assisted suicide and cloning?  Why wouldn’t it?  If we do not encourage people with strong Christian values about life, marriage and family to enter parliament, nothing will change.

The church cannot be involved in politics but it can encourage Catholics and other Christian people to enter parliament, bringing with them their own personal convictions formed by the church upbringing.  Is anyone listening?  I sincerely hope so.

Archbishop Barry Hickey 8 Nov 2009 reported in The Record 25 Nov 2009.

We can be very grateful that a prominent church leader makes this kind of call.

Is he right?  Absolutely.

How can it be that just over one year ago one of our parliaments, in the name of freedom of choice, trampled on the medical profession’s freedom of choice and liberty of conscience not to be involved in something they might consider evil?  The Victorian State parliament in allowing abortion for any reason at any stage of pregnancy – right through to term – overruled doctor’s freedom of choice and liberty of conscience not to be involved in this process. 

Please consider: the Victorian battle re exclusion of conscience was lost despite strong representation by the medical profession and an appeal based on the Victorian Charter of Rights.  Ironically the law was passed by MPs exercising a conscience vote!  There were many other arguments made against the legislation which allows brutal methods of terminating the baby’s life through to term without any anaesthetic given to the baby. That these arguments should been over-ruled demonstrates the single-mindedness and power of the pro-abortion lobby and the failure of MPs to consider and allow rational argument.  It is sobering to consider the part that Emily’s List has played in this “historic moment for the recognition of women's rights…” Their website boasts that of 152 Labor women in parliaments 113 are Emily's List members.

Please consider: it has been shown there is no safe way of introducing a law allowing euthanasia that won’t result in risking the lives of others not wishing to be killed. Five government-sponsored inquiries in England, Canada, USA and Australia into the consequences of legalising euthanasia have been published and all reached the same conclusion that such law would always be unsafe (see box).  This information was given to each of the South Australian MPs and yet the bill was only defeated by 2 votes.  Other cogent arguments were presented and were brushed aside.  How can it be that MPs can be presented with such information and yet still push for legalisation?

I want you to understand how serious these battles are for the future of medicine and for medical care in our society and for conscience and integrity in our world.  The risk for medicine is that government demands will overrule conscience and integrity in medicine.  But medical care must never be subject to degradation by governments in this age or any age to come. Liberty of conscience is also consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 18: 
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom… to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Imagine a society where integrity and conscience are slowly destroyed.  The end results are terrifying.

The challenge to conscience is also in a very real sense a challenge for our nation, our people.  It has been said that requiring men to violate and disregard their conscience results in the loss of virtue and undermines the basis for self-government.  Surely we realise it was ethical failure that has caused our global financial crisis.  Do we expect an ethical conscience in our governments? 

Why am I involved in all this?  Why should it concern you?  Why am I writing this?

• First of all to alert to the enormity of what is actually happening with the culture of death and like the men of Issachar “to understand the times” and know “what to do”

• Then to equip to think clearly about such issues; we need to have answers to challenges like “where is your compassion?”

• And what is our response when we realise the gravity of the situation, when we realise we have leaders in our country who fail to stand for what is right and who perhaps don’t even understand what is right – or will not. Our responses will be mixed – anger, bewilderment, fear, grief.  Because we are created in the Image of God there must be an appropriate degree of grief – otherwise we do not understand.  Remember – blessed are those who mourn.
• The challenge then is to waken God’s people and slowly overcome a similar inability to comprehend.  I hear their acquiescence but I see in their eyes that they have not understood the inevitable consequences of the anti-family, anti-Christian, culture-of-death agendas that have found their way into political party policy and the reality of shifting boundaries.  I am reminded of the protective denial of some of the German people when told what was happening in the concentration camps “no, no – that is not possible, we would never do that”.

So what must we do?
Yes, we need to change people’s hearts and minds by bringing them into the Kingdom of God. 
Educating and informing the public is a slow and arduous task particularly when the wrong questions are asked in community surveys.

Members of Parliaments have an absolute obligation to be informed and consider issues in depth.  But it is clear that many do not do this and probably have no inclination.  I have experienced this when I have received replies to letters from Medicine With Morality which have said that the letters have been forwarded on to the appropriate minister – and this has been with issues requiring a conscience vote from the MP himself or herself.  It is so clear that many MPs come into parliament with fixed ideas and are resistent to reason.

So, a hopeless task?  Well maybe, but even if we can only change the minds of 1 or 2 that might be enough.  Foster a relationship with a MP.  Adopt an MP.  Pray for them.

But if indeed it is hopeless to change the minds of existing MPs then we must throw them out – like we did in WA in the last state election.  The preferences of the CDP in WA were instrumental in the last state election of 5 new MPs favourable to a culture of life.  So we need to know who to vote for and we need to know how to vote and use the preferential voting system to the advantage of the CDP – i.e. if you put CDP [1] and your major party [2] you DO NOT LOSE YOUR VOTE  (unless CDP wins!).

Enter politics.  Become an MP.  Remember what Archbishop Barry Hickey said.

Lachlan Dunjey 9 Feb 2010.