Yes I agree with you Runner.
Our current Government is cold and merciless. One day God will judge us on whether we decided through 'pro choice' to keep our hearts of stone or to allow them to be transformed to hearts of flesh after the manner of His own Divine life when God became man in Christ Jesus.

Let's also look at the propoganda copout of the Victorian State Government and their mates in the media, those journalists, who bought the line that 'no one should be blamed' ( ie no one is responsible for the hundred of Aussies who perished in the bushfires.
What rubbish ! The Greens policies and the preferences the ALP and the Coalition take off the Greens to win power thus influences reckless policy changes that do not permit satisfactory cleanups of debris and trees close to farming properties; and also the loss of systematic cool season yearly back-burning. They are responsible for this and we need laws to make them, retrospectively criminally liable.
Fancy blaming God for trqagedy ( or in this case the bogeyman of allged 'global warming'/'climate change' for the bushfires !).
Blame man and his bad negligent choices in political policy changes that any park ranger would tell you will never work but only satisfy the pantheists who are in the politicla system and who hate the Truine God and the true believers ( traditional Catholics).

"One wonders how strong the religious vote is in our society, and by how much it dwindles each year."

This is completely irrelevant to the issue of whether or not abortion is ethical, for it is not a religious question.

The original question posed by TruthNow was to ask religious people why they would vote for Labor and the Greens, not to make threats to the poor little secularists who live in terror of a dreaded "theocracy"!

"Last time I checked the poll in The Australian, 62% of people supported the move, 33% were opposed with the remainder being neutral."

Because, of course, online polls are so meaningful. I suppose if the numbers had been reversed, you would have condemned your fellow Australians for being so backward and seen it as necessary to "educate" them.

"many, indeed, most practical organisations realise that there will be occasions when abortions are necessary."

Only because they believe it's acceptable to kill people to solve your problems. Which it isn't.

"These organisations were barred from receiving aid dollars in the past."

Because it is wrong to kill people to solve your problems.

"Also, there is the fact that in third world countries, women have very little power."

Then address the issue of power, but don't kill babies.

"Rape is more common..."

Then address the issue of rape, but don't kill babies.

"Thus, an impoverished family is made larger as the mother sometimes has no choice."

So find a way to help them feed themselves, but don't kill babies.

"Thankfully, that's been changed. Of course, individuals like TruthNow rarely like to look at the bigger picture."

The bigger picture in this case means killing babies. And we all know that's wrong, which is why most people talk around the main point.

Otokonoko wrote: I would be tempted to call that [abortion] murder (from an emotive, not a legal perspective).

Dear Otokonoko,

English versions of the Decalogue may translate one of the commandment as "Thou shalt not kill."

A more accurate translation from the Hebrew is, "Thou shalt not murder." You make the distinction that the original makes.

Murder is a matter of legal definition. It would seem reasonable to me to define as murderers those who would make a nine year old child carry a baby to term if giving birth resulted in her death.

Dear Runner,

There are no unborn children. One has to be born to become a child. The nine year old girl pregnant by her stepfather was a child. By the abortion she has a chance to be a child a while longer. I favour the rights of born children. Born children are the only real children.

Sorry Runner, no children involved at all. So you remain confused.

I saw an interview recently with David Attenborough, where they
asked him about god etc. He mentioned a worm in Africa, which
burrows its way through childrens eyeballs and wondered what
kind of god that would be, who created it. Interesting question.

Calling abortion murder is not emotive. It is the taking of innocent human life. The 'emotes' may or may not come into it but upon reflection and as part of being a human person why wouldn't one get upset and distressed byt he murder of innocent human babies? It is great being a Catholic because I feel comfortable in experiencing feelings of pain and distress at hearing about abortion. It is proof of being alive. No shame in that. Thankyou God for the wonderful Catholic Faith I say.
Murder is a matter of religious teaching which was and still should be taken up by the secular law making authorities. What is made law is not always moral; and thsi is the fault of human lawmakers and not the God who created our very natures after which we need to have laws that are derived therefrom.

"One has to be born to become a child." you say David. What unphilosphical nonsense you speak. That is logically impossible. I am glad I believe in a God who has us put on our thinking caps which He gave all of us before we open our mouths.
"born children are the only real children" says David. Mate, I really fear potential totalitarian little gods like you. I really do and that is why I left the ALP to become a true Labor man in the DLP. SO watch out for me, OK. I come to end your dangerous hateful
and cold hearted opinions on a political level in NSW.

Sorry for you Yabby rather than for Runner.
You and some other pro culture of death people are denying the truth that stares you in the face ie the existence of human life within a mothers's womb which you illogically say only becomes human and worthy to be granted a right to life upon coming out of the womb and into the hands of the obstetrician or the midwife. Sorry Yabby but being Catholic is emminently more normal than your irrational opinion. You are the one confused and one doesn't even have to be a religious person to see that.

We all will die and worms will eat us up but so what! Our bodies arise
at the final judgment just as Christ and His Blessed Mother are both body AND soul in Heaven.

At the particular judgement ( our personal individual death) our individual soul is judged to Heaven( or purgatory for most of us before going to Heaven) or Hell. The worm eaten body will be restored to perfection better than we ever have here on earth at the general judgment to Eternal Heaven or eternal Hell. So don't worry about the worms too much.It is transitory.