Dear Friends and Family in Christ,     (from Pastor Danny Nalliah) 

Many of you will have already heard the breaking news regarding the battle for life in Victoria; that is that Candy Broad’s bill to decriminalise abortion has been withdrawn!

Instead, the new Premier of Victoria John Brumby has commissioned a group to research the issue more thoroughly and is expected to propose another bill in March 2008. He intends for abortion to be decriminalised in Victoria, but with similar restrictions as under the Menhennit ruling of 1969 (which permits abortion only if deemed necessary for the woman’s life or health).

This is both great news and a sobering alert on several levels!

Firstly, we at Catch The Fire Ministries believe that this is a direct answer to prayer! At a recent time of seeking the Lord in prayer and fasting regarding the issue of abortion, our intercessors united with the cry of the Spirit, “Whatever it takes God, stop this bill!” Two days later Premier Steve Bracks and Deputy Premier John Thwaites both resigned. As a result Candy Broad’s bill was delayed two weeks and now has been withdrawn, with the new deadline for the decriminalisation of abortion in March 2008.

We praise our Merciful Father in Heaven for His amazing grace in giving the Body of Christ more time to fight this evil through united prayer, repentance and social action! More time for our Most High God to unleash His supernatural strategies and to corporately position His Kingdom people to win this spiritual battle against the wicked forces of abortion!

Secondly, we at Catch The Fire Ministries believe this is another prophetic wake-up call for the Body of Christ to go on the spiritual offensive regarding this demonic giant of abortion. Premier John Brumby’s intentions are to decriminalise abortion, and March 2008 is not far away. The Body of Christ must rise up in Kingdom authority and assault the devil’s plans with a major tactical offensive of united prayer and corporate action. As William Wilberforce saw an end to laws allowing slavery, so too we must fight for an end to laws allowing abortion! This is the heartbeat of Father God and we must unite with Him in order to see an end to abortion in Victoria, Australia, and throughout the nations of the world! The time is NOW!

Article by The Age Newspaper:

Brumby takes stand on abortion

August 21, 2007 – The Age – Peter Ker

ABORTION appears certain to be decriminalised in Victoria next year, after Premier John Brumby yesterday seized control of the divisive issue and declared his Government would legislate.
The new Premier’s intervention ends eight years of inaction from the Government and came 24 hours before a doomed private member’s bill to decriminalise abortion was due to be debated in the upper house.
Under Mr Brumby’s plan, endorsed by cabinet yesterday, the Law Reform Commission will be asked to advise the Government on how to remove abortion offences from the Crimes Act and to clarify under what circumstances terminating a pregnancy would be legal.
Mr Brumby, who has given the commission a deadline of March next year, said a bill would be introduced soon after “to modernise Victorian abortion law”, with MPs to be given a conscience vote.
“Our existing laws are out of step with community sentiment,” he said. “It is essential that the law reflects contemporary community standards and that it is simple, clear and transparent.”
Labor MP Candy Broad yesterday agreed to withdraw her private member’s bill, which did not have the support of Mr Brumby or other senior ministers. Ms Broad immediately threw her support behind the Brumby plan, describing it as a “terrific initiative”.
While abortion remains a crime under Victorian law, an estimated 20,000 pregnancies are terminated each year under the common law protection of a 1969 ruling by Supreme Court Justice Menhennit, which allowed abortions to be carried out if a woman’s mental or physical health would be put at risk by continuing the pregnancy.
Mr Brumby said it was unacceptable for abortions to be conducted in an uncertain legal environment.
He said he would seek to legislate in a way that virtually translated the common law situation under the Menhennit ruling into statutory law.
“We are not looking at changes in practice, we are looking at changes in the way in which the law is presented, the way in which the law is written, the way the crimes act is defined,” he said.
Mr Brumby said Ms Broad’s bill, which sought to remove abortion from the Crimes Act but did not seek to put it in the Health Act as desired by Mr Brumby and most cabinet ministers, was too narrowly focused and was destined to fail if put to a vote in Parliament this week.
Ms Broad said she had not been pressured to withdraw her bill and was keen to contribute to the formulation of the abortion legislation next year.
Former Labor premier Joan Kirner, who has supported Ms Broad’s bill, welcomed yesterday’s move and said she was confident Mr Brumby’s intervention was not merely another delaying tactic. “But anything longer than 12 months would be a disgrace,” Ms Kirner said.
Women’s Health Victoria executive director Marilyn Beaumont welcomed Mr Brumby’s pledge, but said she was eager to see the new laws implemented as soon as possible. “We don’t want this to continue to edge up towards another election period and be told once again that it’s not the right time,” she said.
Right to Life Australia president Margaret Tighe said the timing of Mr Brumby’s move was influenced by the imminent federal election, with Victorian Labor reluctant to put the contentious issue on the parliamentary agenda so close to the federal poll.
Ms Tighe said the delay would allow further lobbying time, which could yet see the push for decriminalisation stymied.
State Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu — who supports in principle the decriminalisation of abortion — said the withdrawal of Ms Broad’s bill was a “missed opportunity” to amend current laws. He said he hoped the Government would keep its promise to introduce clarifying laws next year.