Concerns have been raised by some Melbourne Anglicans over a submission made to the Victorian Law Reform Commission on reform of the state's abortion laws.
A think tank of eight women, by invitation from Archbishop Freier, made the submission in December. The group said that while abortion was a serious moral issue, it accepted that it was not a criminal matter, and that legislation was only a partial response to the issue.
The group supported a gradualist approach, where the moral significance of the embryo or foetus increased with gestational age, the approach adopted also by the Church of England.
The Revd Tim Patrick, Associate Priest at St Jude's Carlton, has sent a letter to parishes seeking signatories for a petition protesting against the submission.
"[The gradualist] line of argument has no biblical warrant and reflects very modern secular thinking about the value of human life," Mr Patrick said. "Many Melbourne Anglicans do believe that the Bible teaches that human life has absolute moral value irrespective of race, gender, wealth, education, age (including the age of the unborn) or level of disability. To see the church creating room for abortion on any of these bases is very upsetting to many of us."
Mr Patrick said he believes many Melbourne Anglicans have reservations about the submission.
The Ven Alison Taylor, a member of the think tank, said, "As we worked through the complexities and pain, and sought to understand God's desires for human life, we acknowledged that abortion has no place in God's perfect universe. Unfortunately this is not a perfect universe. We all know we live in a fallen world, with hate, dysfunction and a place where people are forced to make life wrenching choices."
The VLRC had asked for submissions specifically to clarify the existing operation of the law in relation to terminations of pregnancy and to remove from the Crimes Act 1958 offences relating to terminations of pregnancy where performed by a qualified medical practitioner.
"Abortion of foetuses up to 20 weeks is currently legal and it is not expected that this law will change," Ms Taylor said. "The group is convinced that the way to reduce the numbers of abortions in our state is to look at our support mechanisms rather than by making a blanket prohibition of all abortions."
Dr Freier acknowledged the work of the women in the group and their willingness to take on what he said would inevitably be a controversial subject.
"The Diocese of Melbourne does not easily reach a consensus on abortion", he said. "The report of the think tank is the consensus view of the group which carefully considered the theological, pastoral, ethical and moral viewpoints. While I respect the opinions of those who disagree with aspects of the submission and am sorry for any distress caused to them, I believe it is important for the Diocese to have contributed to the debate".
You can view the submission to the Law Reform Commission here:
https://www.melbourne.anglican.com.au/main.php?pg=download&id=10497