By LYLE SHELTON
For the second time in history, a pro-life bill has passed an Australian parliamentary chamber.
Last night Family First MLC Sarah Game's bill to ban late-term abortions succeeded in the South Australian Legislative Council 10 votes to 9.
Sadly, the victory was short-lived with the bill voted down hours later in the Legislative Assembly by 36 votes to nine.
Normally there would be a delay of weeks if not months before an upper house bill went to the lower house, but Premier Peter Malinauskas used his thumping majority to fast-track it.
He wanted to kill off further public debate and lobbying of MPs. Human rights for unborn babies and better support for their mothers cannot be allowed to suck up political oxygen.
Last night's short-lived win follows the passing of independent ACT Legislative Assembly member Paul Osborne's bill in 1998 which required a 72-hour cooling off period before an unborn baby could be killed.
Sadly, this was repealed in 2002.
Nonetheless last night's victory was significant and should be celebrated.
Pro-life initiatives in Australian Parliaments always generate intense and emotionally charged opposition. This was no different.
Abortion is a sacred cow for the radical left. They think it is healthcare, even though killing her baby is almost never medically necessary to save the life of a mother.
But with awareness growing of the brutality of abortion, politicians are slowly shifting.
Late-term abortion is procured by the injection of potassium chloride through the mother's uterus into the baby's heart, a painful procedure not allowed to be performed on animals.
Hence even Malinauskas and Liberal Opposition Leader Ashton Hurn voted for Sarah Game's bill.
Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis, Police Minister Michael Brown, Liberal Sam Telfer and the four One Nation MPs made up the nine supporting Game's bill in the lower house, which was moved there by One Nation MP Chantelle Thomas.
Thomas told Parliament of her own experience where doctors told her to abort her child at 28 weeks.
Her seven-year-old daughter was "living proof that sometimes the predictions are wrong".
Liberals Dennis Hood, Ben Hood, Nicola Centofanti, Heidi Girolamo, Labor's Clare Scriven and Tung Ngo and the three One Nation MLCs made up the upper house numbers supporting Game's bill.
Credit must be given to Adelaide University Law Professor Dr Joanna Howe for initiating several pro-life bills in recent years, including last night's bill, and for mobilising public support.
Hundreds braved pouring rain to attend Howe's Life Rally on the steps of the SA Parliament, and their cheers could be heard in the chamber as the bill passed the upper house.
Sarah Game, who yesterday announced she was joining Family First, emerged from the chamber to thank the crowd.
Game has not ruled out re-introducing pro-life bills in the future, given her bill was voted down hours later in the lower house.
While ever it is legal for unborn babies to be killed in utero, the abortion debate won't go away.
A bill to ban sex selective abortion, also an initiative of Dr Howe, is before the NSW upper house.
With One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson again confirming her support yesterday during her address at the National Press Club for 90 percent of abortions, Family First remains the only pro-life party on the eastern seaboard.
With Parliamentary representation now secured in SA through Ms Game's joining of Family First, the party is working hard to increase its representation at the up-coming Victorian and NSW elections.
- Lyle Shelton is Family First's National Director and lead candidate for the NSW Legislative Council at the up-coming election.
