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WA's only Catholic weekly newspaper Perth: July 11 2002 Price: $1
WA abortion report 'a coverup' WAs Coalition for the Defence of Human Life has denounced the Health Minister's Review of the 1998 abortion law as "an exercise In concealment: The review was presented to Parliament last Thursday 27 June. CDHL Secretary Dr Ted Watt said of the review "This is not a report because it reports almost nothing. It's an extended coverup, an exercise in concealment. 'The report talks of legalised abortion "taking abortion out of the shadows". Instead, the report shows that the shadows are still there, and some new shadows have been crated. Dr Watt said some of the "more obvious shadows" included:
• The names of the people writing the report for the Minister have been concealed. "An application under FOI has been refused by the Health Department. • The names of their professional advisory committee have also been concealed, and access under FOI has been refused by the health Department. "The panel of doctors at KEMH who have power to authorise the abortions of babies old enough to need birth and death certificates has been concealed since is was set up in 1998, and the present review recommends (p.34) that their names remain concealed.
The minister agrees," Dr Watt continue this concealment from their medical practitioners since parents o information vital to their 1998 the true physical and psychosaid. • The seven illegal abortions at daughter's welfare. The Minister logical risks of abortion. "The department's 1998 informaKEMH in June 1998 which were agrees," he said. "Every citizen who has knowl- tion leaflets were written by four concealed at the time, are to remain concealed: `no further edge of a crime has a legal duty prominent abortion promoters. action is recommended' (p 34) by under the Criminal code to who systematically suppress releinform the police. Whenever a girl vant medical research showing the report. Dr WAtt also said the Health under 16 is pregnant, a crime has risks which they fail to disclose. This been committed. But children's has been exhaustively documented Minister agrees with this. • Under the abortion law, par- Court magistrates, far from In 1999 by the Doctors' Legal Safeents of a girl under 16 living at Informing the police, are conceal- guards Group in their booklet Aborhome can be denied any infor- ing the information. The anony- tion, Information and the law: what mation about a plan to abort the mous authors of the report have every doctor needs to know girl's pregnancy if the Children's no objection to this illegality. Nor "Though this booklet has been has the Minister. Has anyone court so orders. widely among WA doccirculated "The Children's Court has asked the director of Public Prosprofessionals for health and tors agrees? whether he ecutions approved every one of the 26 years, and though the four nearly • The WA Health Department has applications to date. The secret Continued Page 2 authors of the report are happy to been concealing from women and
Sydney Harbour not a bridge too far for bishops The Sydney Harbour Bridge became the focus for a new environmental initiative from the Catholic Church in Australia. Three of its Bishops climbed the Bridge on Friday 28 June to publicise the formation of a new agency of the church, Catholic Earilscare Australia. Archbishop John Bathersby of Brisbane, chair of The Bishops' Committee for Justice, Development Ecology and Peace, was supported by Bishops William Morris of Toowoomba and Christopher Saunders of Broome. "Catholic Earthcare Australia (CEA) is a response from the bishops of Australia to take Pope John Paul H's many pleas for people everywhere to take greater responsibility in caring for the increasingly threatened natural environment. The Pope has been speaking passionately about the environment for the past ten years," Archbishop Bathersby says. "This is a national initiative which plans to mobilise Australia's five million Catholics to take decisive action to protect the natural world before it's too late. We want to stress the fact that the environment is not a marginal issue for a few `greenies', but a mainstream social issue that has major implications for us all: Archbishop Bathersby, himself a keen bushwalker, explained that the CEA is guided by an advisors/ council comprising 20 environmental experts from around Australia. These include people such as Patrick Dodson, Christine Milne (Tasmanian Green), Father Brian Gore, Sandra Menteith (Oz Green) and Father Andrew Granc (Franciscan Priest). Bishop Chris Toohey, one of Australia's youngest Bishops from NSW outback (Wilcannia/Forbes), himself a
No, not a new group of metalworkers. Archbishop Bathersby of Brisbane, left, Bishop Christopher Sunders of Broome and Bishop William Morris of Toowoomba, second from right, were among those on top of the Bridge to publicise the Catholic Church's newest agency, Earthcare.
keen astronomer and sometimes Garden Planet", was the centredubbed the 'Bish with the Dish', piece of the launch function. A will also play an executive role in copy of the video will be sent to every Catholic school and parish the council. The official launch of CEA took in Australia. Colin Brown, an environmental place during a Mass and ceremony at St Francis of Assisi Church, lawyer who will coordinate the Paddington on Sunday, 30 June, new agency says that St Francis of Assisi Church was selected as the starting at 9.30am. A newly produced video, "The launch venue because of the
saint's powerful links with nature and animals. St Francis is the patron saint of the environment "Young people have been a potent force behind the project. In responding to the idealism and concerns of youth, the Australian Bishops will encourage schools throughout the nation to hold a
special St Francis of Assisi Day to take place on World Environment Day on 4 June each year," Colin Brown said. "A pilot activity by 40 Catholic schools in the Sydney and Wollongong dioceses held on 4 June this year was a successful precursor to what is hoped will become an annual event."