Melbourne Archbishop Comensoli challenges parties to fund alternatives to abortion

Melbourne Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli has asked Victorian political leaders to fund support for mothers, unborn children, and the terminally ill rather than only subsidizing abortion. Writing in the Herald Sun, the archbishop criticized the Labor Party's pledge to use taxpayer funds to cover the full cost of abortions up to 16 weeks of gestation and the Liberal–National Coalition's announcement that it would also provide such funding.

Comensoli questioned whether politicians who fund one choice would also fund alternatives. He argued that the state has the means to support vulnerable people and those approaching the end of life with medical care and compassion. He warned that no major political party, including the Greens or One Nation, is working to reverse what he described as a hidden culture of death.

The archbishop's comments come ahead of the November state election and follow recent changes in Victoria that made voluntary assisted dying easier to access. Comensoli linked the debate to the rejection of capital punishment, suggesting that a society capable of safely imprisoning offenders should also be capable of protecting unborn children and caring for the dying.