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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 9 Hansard (21 August) . . Page.. 2514 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

She goes on:

I would add even more than our official statement. I believe-and this is a common Christian paradox-that the kingdom of God has come, is here and is yet to come. The kingdom of God is present when we can see the action of God in the world, when we can see compassion and mercy and love at work. But the kingdom of God is not yet here in all the also obvious ways ... poverty, war, incest, child abuse, rape, homelessness, and hunger in the most wealthy country in the world.

I believe that as Christians we are called to usher in the kingdom of God. We do that by insisting that these issues be addressed. Choice has to be connected to that. Life for a Christian is more than breathing in and out. Until people have a home in which to raise their children, the safety and security of whatever they need to do that well, then abortion needs to be a choice. Clearly, giving a woman the right to abortion is a compassionate stand, and anytime compassion rules over judgment, we see the kingdom of God.

I see Jesus being outrageously gracious, outrageously forgiving. If Jesus were right here today, I think he would say, "I'm sad that anyone has to have an abortion. I'm sad that that has to be a choice. But you've been created as human beings... You're going to make mistakes. Yes, I do value life, I do value babies, but I don't use babies for punishment. And you've had a lot of babies born that you haven't taken care of very well. I want you to find homes for these children that have been battered and abused. I want you to get these people off the streets. I want you to take care of what you've already got."

That is one person's faith.

The New South Wales Synod of the Uniting Church puts a religious case for removing legal penalties for abortion as well. Quoting from their statement, it says:

In a world at peace, justice and harmony of relationships, where hopes are fulfilled and plans succeed, there would be little need for women to seek abortions. However, we recognise that abortion must remain a legal option for a woman who is unable to continue her pregnancy.

I am not convinced that simply reaching a world of peace, justice and harmony of relationships would itself prevent unwanted pregnancies-nonetheless, it is a fine goal. The views of the Uniting Church quoted here emphasise-importantly-that the place for making a world where every pregnancy can be wanted, for those who share that vision, is not by making it illegal to have an abortion.

There are shades of grey, there are many personal understandings of what is going on in pregnancy and in abortion, particularly in the early stages of the pregnancy. The question of when personhood-not life but personhood-begins is a religious or spiritual one. It is not something for people of one belief to impose on others, and especially not as criminal law.

I have heard from some people with disabilities who fear that, with abortion and the various tests for disabilities in utero, along comes the view that a woman is obliged to abort if tests show the foetus will develop with a particular disability. There is experience

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