Thousands of Baby Booties on Parliament House Lawn

On 27 August, thousands of baby booties were displayed on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra as part of an annual awareness campaign highlighting abortion statistics and advocating for improved protections.

Warning: This article includes information that some readers may find distressing. Please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Salt Careline on 07 5400 2754 if you need to talk to someone.

Key points:

The baby booties display began in 2023 to support the Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022.

That bill aimed to ensure that babies born alive following an abortion would receive appropriate medical care. 50 babies were reported to have been born alive after an attempted abortion and left without treatment in Queensland, in 2022. The national display draws attention to this issue across all states.

The ACL campaign focuses on acknowledging loss and encouraging policy focus on supporting vulnerable pregnant women.

Key figures and purpose

Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) CEO Michelle Pearse stated that approximately 89,000 babies lose their lives to abortion in Australia each year — equating to one baby every six minutes. She emphasised the campaign’s dual purpose: acknowledging loss and encouraging policy focus on supporting vulnerable pregnant women.

She commented: “The display of baby booties represents more than numbers; it reflects grief, compassion, and a call for change.”

Australian Christian Lobby’s position

Sarah Heys, National Campaigns and Volunteer Coordinator for the ACL, explained the organisation’s stance: “ACL boldly upholds the sanctity of life — from conception to natural death. Every human life is valuable and should be protected”.

She described abortion as “one of the greatest human rights violations of our time”, and said that abortion is legal up to birth in all Australian states. While citing Proverbs 31:8–9, she framed the campaign as a voice for the unborn.

She also commented on the impact of abortion: “The decision to end a pregnancy is a devastating one, impacting both the mother and the unborn child… The act of abortion is not simply ‘making a baby go away’; it is one that has life-long effects on mothers, fathers and families”.

“Every human, whether hours, days, weeks, months or years old, should be given an opportunity to live, grow and develop.” – ACL

Campaign goals and expectations

The ACL plans to continue running the Baby Booties Campaign annually. They said their objective is to move hearts and consciences, influencing national laws in the direction of greater protection for unborn babies.

The campaign emphasises that it begins with ensuring babies born alive after an abortion receive care, with the broader hope that abortion will eventually become “unthinkable throughout all months of pregnancy”. ACL framed this as “a prayerful act of remembrance and advocacy” and emphasised the role of spiritual commitment in effecting societal change.

Warning: This article includes information that some readers may find distressing. Please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Salt Careline on 07 5400 2754 if you need to talk to someone.

Feature image: Supplied (Hope News)