George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I read of the miraculous story of young Richard Hutchinson, a baby born at just 21 weeks and two days gestation, who celebrated his first birthday this month. Richard's parents were encouraged to consider an abortion prior to his arrival, as their baby was given zero chance of survival, but they had greater faith than the medical practitioners providing advice.

This story is relevant to the private member's bill that I was to introduce today to enshrine in law protections for a child born alive as a result of an abortion. The Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2021 will seek to ensure that this nation abides by the international conventions that we are signatory to: the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The bill seeks to protect the most vulnerable by ensuring that a child born alive as a result of an abortion is provided with the same medical care as any other child, whether that be life-saving treatment or palliative care. The bill was scheduled, as I said, to be introduced into the House today, but, because of other events, I have delayed the introduction of the bill to a later date, which I expect to be 9 August. It's a bill which seeks to protect our most vulnerable, it's a bill which seeks to save lives, it's a bill which seeks to do what is right and it's a bill that I commend to everyone in this place.