ABORTIONS 90,000 per year in AUSTRALIA

ABORTIONS 90,000 per year in AUSTRALIA **There is no complete official national total for abortions in Australia for the full year 2025.**

Australia lacks a unified national reporting system for abortions. Data collection varies by state/territory (only South Australia has consistent, detailed public reporting), and figures are often estimates or partial. Full 2025 data is unlikely to be available yet, as statistics typically lag by months or more.

### Recent Available Figures

- **Johnston's Archive** (updated Nov 2025) estimates around **75,000–76,000** abortions annually in recent years:

- 2024: **75,456**

- 2023: **75,135**

- 2022: **~73,800–73,800+**

These are compiled from reported and estimated data across jurisdictions.

- **Guttmacher Institute** (for 2015–2019 period): ~**93,800** abortions per year on average (higher estimate, based on modeling of unintended pregnancies).

- **Other estimates**: Often cited in the **70,000–90,000** range annually, with rates around 15–20 per 1,000 women of reproductive age. Older hospital and Medicare data (which can include miscarriages) also hover in the mid-70,000s.

### State-Level Insights (Latest Available)

- **South Australia (2024)**: 4,725 notified terminations (down from 5,003 in 2023; rate of 13.0 per 1,000 women aged 15–44, the lowest in 25 years).

- Partial or older data from states like NSW, WA, and others align with the national extrapolation of ~70k–80k+.

Trends show relatively stable numbers in recent years, with some fluctuations and a shift toward more medication abortions. Late-term procedures (e.g., after 20–22 weeks) remain a small fraction, mostly for medical reasons.

For the most up-to-date or detailed figures, check official sources like state health departments (e.g., SA Preventive Health), Johnston's Archive, or reports from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare once released. Data for 2025 will likely appear in 2026–2027 updates.

**The Bible does not explicitly say "abortion is murder,"** as the modern medical procedure of abortion is not directly addressed in Scripture. However, many Christians (especially in evangelical and Catholic traditions) argue that it equates to the unjust taking of innocent human life—i.e., murder—based on broader biblical teachings about the sanctity of life, God's role in forming people in the womb, and prohibitions against killing the innocent.

### Key Relevant Passages

Here are the most commonly cited verses supporting the pro-life interpretation:

- **Exodus 20:13** — "You shall not murder" (or "You shall not kill" in some translations). This is the Sixth Commandment. The Hebrew word (*ratsach*) typically refers to unlawful, premeditated killing of an innocent person, distinct from killing in war, self-defense, or capital punishment. Pro-life advocates apply this to the unborn as innocent human lives.

- **Psalm 139:13-16** — "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made... Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." This portrays God as intimately involved in forming a person from the earliest stages in the womb, implying personhood and value before birth.

- **Jeremiah 1:5** — "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." God claims personal knowledge and purpose for Jeremiah prior to birth, suggesting continuity of identity and value. Similar ideas appear in passages about other figures (e.g., Isaiah 49:1, Galatians 1:15).

- **Exodus 21:22-25** — This is the most debated passage. It describes men fighting and striking a pregnant woman "so that her children come out" (or "she has a miscarriage" in some translations). If there's no further injury, a fine is imposed; if there is serious injury, it demands "life for life, eye for eye," etc.

- **Pro-life reading**: The "children come out" refers to premature birth (not necessarily death), and any harm to the child or mother triggers full penalties, treating the unborn as a full person under *lex talionis* (retaliation law). The fine applies only if there's no lasting harm.

- **Alternative reading** (often pro-choice or more nuanced): It distinguishes miscarriage (fine) from harm to the mother (full penalty), suggesting the fetus had lesser legal status in ancient Israel than a born person.

Translations and Hebrew wording ("yatsa" for "come out," often meaning live birth) are contested, leading to ongoing scholarly debate.

- **Other supporting ideas**:

- **Genesis 9:6** and the image of God: Humans bear God's image from creation, grounding the value of life. Many extend this to the unborn.

- **Luke 1:41-44**: John the Baptist "leaped for joy" in Elizabeth's womb when Mary (pregnant with Jesus) greeted her, showing recognition and personhood in utero.

- General themes: God gives life (Job 10:8-12), children are a heritage (Psalm 127:3), and shedding innocent blood is condemned (e.g., Proverbs 6:16-17).

### Broader Biblical Context

The Bible emphasizes the protection of the vulnerable, widows, orphans, and the weak. Early Jewish and Christian traditions (e.g., Josephus calling abortion murder, early church fathers like Basil of Caesarea condemning it) largely viewed induced abortion negatively as contrary to God's sovereignty over life.

However, the Bible also shows complexities: It regulates warfare, capital punishment, and accidental death differently. It does not address modern scenarios like life-threatening pregnancies to the mother, severe fetal anomalies, rape/incest, or very early chemical abortions. Ancient contexts lacked today's embryology.

### Different Christian Perspectives

- **Strong pro-life view** (common among evangelicals, Catholics, Orthodox): Abortion intentionally ends a human life made in God's image, so it is morally equivalent to murder. God's foreknowledge and creative work in the womb affirm full personhood at conception.

- **Nuanced or differing views**: Some Christians (including some mainline Protestants and biblical scholars) argue the Bible is not explicit, that Exodus 21 treats the fetus differently, or that "personhood" develops later. They may emphasize mercy, women's circumstances, or church tradition over a strict equation to murder. Jewish interpretations also vary historically, with the fetus often having protective but not identical status to a born person until birth or viability.

- The Bible is silent on the exact moment of "ensoulment" or when full legal/moral personhood begins in a way that settles modern policy.

In summary, the claim "abortion is murder according to the Bible" is a theological inference drawn by many believers from the sanctity of life teachings, not a direct quote. It rests on seeing the unborn as fully human persons under God's care. Others reach different conclusions from the same texts due to interpretive differences. This remains a deeply divisive issue involving science (biology of development), philosophy (personhood), ethics, and law alongside Scripture. Christians are called to wrestle with it prayerfully, with compassion for all involved. Graham Healy med science degree sunday 28 june 26 PS my personal view is that premeditated Abortion is MURDER (on any level ) with the exception that the Mothers life is in danger due to medical complications and a moral decision must be made whose life to save . the other factor that is not often discissed is the of ADOPTION of babies and this is a solution to unwanted pregnacies GH