According to the Australian Christian Lobby’s Wendy Francis, this month’s Queensland election is the most important in Australia’s history when it comes to pro-life issues. Talking to Neil Johnson on Vision’s 20Twenty last week, she explained why what happens in the sunshine state could shape the future of family, faith and freedom in Australia in the coming years.
Opposition leader Deb Frecklington, if elected, has promised to review the current gestational limits in regard to abortion laws, which currently allow pregnancies to be terminated up to the point of birth. Though politicians are not perfect, and we would have to hold her to that promise, Francis says this is a unique chance to show leadership in redeeming the terrible abortion laws we have now.
“She also wants to look at introducing mandatory counselling,” Francis said, “and one of the reasons she wants to do that is because she has a strong focus on domestic violence. And what everyone can see is that there is a strong element of coercion that happens when it comes to abortion.”
Abortion is often framed as a woman’s rights issue, but Francis says this disguises the fact that women are being forced into involuntary abortions. “We’ve had very high profile football girlfriends actually paid money to shut up about their abortions that they have felt coerced into having. So this has been really big business.”
“And what we know is that it’s not only just boyfriends and partners, or husbands even, wanting and pressuring a woman to have an abortion. An embarrassed husband of someone else who has had an affair and doesn’t want this baby born, that’s very prevalent. But what we also know is that it’s parents. It’s educational facilities. It’s doctors.”
“There is an awful lot of pressure on young women, in a very vulnerable stage of their life. Just found out they’re pregnant. It’s not something that they were wanting or expecting. And all of a sudden there’s this pressure that comes. And so what the LNP has said is we want to make sure there is no pressure on a woman to actually go through with an abortion if it is not what she wants, because they see that as being part of a DV situation.”
Recent research has suggested that when made aware of their implications, the majority of Queenslanders actually don’t support the current abortion laws. Francis points out that while Christians generally are guided by principles, politicians are more pragmatic. She suggests the fact that pro-life issues are up for discussion, especially in the context of international events, shows Christians have a unique chance to advocate for change.
“If Deb Frecklington, or the Katter party, or One Nation, who have all come out with very pro-life statements, if they felt that there were absolutely no votes in this, I’m not sure it would be an election issue. But it is an election issue.”
If you’re a Queenslander, Francis encourages you to think carefully about your vote this weekend. The ACL has created a website, qldvotes.org.au, which clearly lays out the policies of the various parties on issues most important for Christians. But if you’re not in Queensland, she says you can still be involved by praying for God to do his will.
Of course whoever wins the election, we know who our leader is, but that’s precisely why Francis believes Christians should be invested in politics. The Lord’s Prayer itself says “your Kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven”. (Matthew 6:10 NKJV) “We want to vote for people who are aligning themselves to those values of the Kingdom most closely,” she said.
Listen to the podcast of Neil Johnson’s conversation with Wendy Francis to learn more about the issues up for debate in this weekend’s Queensland election.
Tune into 20Twenty and join the conversation with Neil Johnson, weekdays on Vision Christian Radio. Click here for your local times.
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