Australia’s 'Baby Bonus' Now Funds Late-Term Abortions
PM Albanese. Source: Sky News
SYDNEY — The Albanese government’s new parental payment policy in Australia, offering a $4,255 Stillbirth Parenting Payment or $20,147 Paid Parental Leave for women who abort after 20 weeks, has ignited fierce debate.
Critics, including pro-life lawyer Dr. Joanna Howe, condemn the policy as incentivizing late-term abortions, which involve injecting a baby’s heart with potassium chloride or digoxin to induce stillbirth.
Howe notes, “The Albanese Government is now incentivising late-term abortion in half the time” compared to the Howard Government’s Baby Bonus, originally designed to support childbirth. In South Australia, 80% of late-term abortions involve healthy babies, intensifying ethical concerns.
One midwife reported a woman planning to use the payment for a Bali trip, highlighting the policy’s perceived misuse. Critics argue it perverts the concept of parental support, likening it to dystopian “newspeak” from Orwell’s 1984. Pro-life advocates urge citizens to sign petitions, contact lawmakers, and pray for policy change, decrying the use of taxpayer funds to “encourage the termination of pregnancies after twenty weeks.”
Read also
ROCOR Priest Reflects on Trip to Capitol Hill
Archpriest Victor Boldewskul participated in the Society of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco's Day of Action to raise awareness about the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Hundreds of Chinese Christians Arrested in Pre-Christmas Crackdown
Hundreds of Chinese Christians face spending Christmas in detention after authorities launched a sweeping pre-holiday crackdown on churches under Beijing’s campaign to control religious life.
Ukraine Adviser: UOC Not Banned, but Offered a 'Choice' of Jurisdictions
A Ukrainian presidential adviser said the UOC is not banned but pressured to choose between joining the OCU, submitting to Constantinople, or remaining unregistered, while dismissing international concerns as propaganda.
Indiana Reports 98% Drop in Abortions Under Stricter Law
Indiana’s latest health report shows a 98% drop in reported abortions under stricter laws, though dozens still occurred under legal exceptions and concerns persist about unreported pill abortions.
Armenian Apostolic Church Pushes Back on Political Encroachment
The Armenian Apostolic Church plans to appeal to international bodies to resist government interference and defend its clergy and sacred relics.
Attempted Takeover at Armenian Etchmiadzin Cathedral Thwarted by Faithful
Supporters of Armenian PM Pashinyan attempted to storm Etchmiadzin Cathedral amid calls for the Catholicos’s resignation but were blocked by parishioners and security.