Australian Christian Lobby managing director Lyle Shelton. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

On Monday night's all-Christian Q&A panel (an unprecedented lack of diverse views for the show), Australians were subjected to the frankly ridiculous complaint that Christians have become a persecuted group in Australia.

The nation collectively spat out its coffee when the right-wing lobbyist Lyle Shelton on his second visit to the program within the space of a few weeks, spoke about being "silenced".

Christians get an entire #qanda panel and have Lyle Shelton on twice in 8 weeks, but claim discrimination? Hmmmmkay — Upulie Divisekera (@upulie) April 25, 2016

The disturbing reality is that despite Christian beliefs being just that - religious beliefs not shared by all - this group continues to have an immense sway over Australian politics and laws that should be made in the interests of all Australians, based on justice and secular logic, not religious dogma.


We've seen the power of the Christian lobby grind into action over Safe Schools, with pressure successfully applied to the Turnbull government, convincing it to wind back the successful program even after a review found nothing wrong with it.

We've seen them manage to halt progress on marriage equality despite poll after poll showing a clear majority of Australians back the move.

But, given just how vocal Christian groups are against the current push for LGBTI rights and proper sex education for kids of all ages, it's easy to forget the other big issue they have managed to prevent progress on in the majority of states. And that's abortion rights.

There is a popular misconception across Australia that abortion in this country is essentially legal. That despite it being listed in the crimes act in NSW, QLD, NT and WA a doctor's signature acknowledging that a pregnancy would cause a woman undue physical or mental distress will restore her reproductive rights.

Well, if you were happily living life under that impression, the case of a pregnant and suicidal 12-year-old girl being dragged through the courts in Queensland might just explode your false sense of security.

The girl, identified only as 'Q' in Supreme Court documents, had seen a GP, followed by a social worker, two specialist ­obstetricians and a psychiatrist, before it was decided - despite the girl, her parents and her doctors all agreeing that she needed the abortion - that she would need a court order for the procedure to be lawful. The entire process took a month and without a doubt would have been incredibly traumatic.

The court was told the girl, who had become pregnant after having sex with a boy her own age, had in recent months suffered emotional distress, run away from home, cut herself and attempted suicide twice.

In The Australian, Wendy Francis of The Australian Christian Lobby was quoted as saying that "with adequate support" the child could go through with the pregnancy and put the baby up for adoption.

We are talking about a 12-year-old suicidal, self-harming child that the state director of the ACL thinks should go through the trauma of an unwanted pregnancy and birth.

"There is also the question as to what responsibility there is to inform the father of the pregnancy," Francis added. Somehow I doubt the boy in this situation is going to be clamouring for his right to become a father (not that his opinion should have any bearing on the girl's choice).

This, from the same people who lobbied the government to take away Safe Schools sex education classes they have deemed "perverse" and "not age appropriate".

Wendy Francis herself said 11-year-olds are too young and "innocent" to be taught even about sexual orientation and transgenderism. But a self-harming pregnant 12-year-old is expected to carry a pregnancy to term.

The mind boggles at the hypocrisy and sheer stupidity of such a stance.

On the one hand, primary school aged children are supposedly too young to learn about sexuality. On the other hand, if they happen to accidentally have sex with each other and get pregnant - which (surprise!) is what can happen when you're a 12-year-old who hasn't been equipped with knowledge about safe sex practices - well in that case they're fully capable of going through pregnancy and childbirth. Yes, yes, even if they want to kill themselves. (Suicide is a sin too, you know. Hell's a crowded little hole.)

The mind boggles further with the knowledge that Francis and others in her group have any influence over government decisions at all - let alone hold the powerful position they do.

But it's thanks to the Christian lobby and the religious right-wing that abortion remains a criminal offence in NSW, QLD, SA, NT and WA. The fragile rights women do have in these states are continually undermined by efforts to introduce amendments, like 'Zoe's Law' in NSW, that further restrict access or create legal ambiguities that discourage doctors from making a medical judgement.

We can't silence the likes of Lyle Shelton, Fred Nile and Wendy Francis. But Australia has really got to stop listening.