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On the 28th July 2010, Peter Kavanagh, MLC, Member for Western Victoria, (Democratic Labor Party), courageously
moved a motion in the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament to inquire into the deaths of 52 babies born alive after abortions. The text of his motion stated:
That this House —
(1) notes that on 20 May 2010 the Herald Sun reported on the recently released 2007 annual report of the Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity which showed that 52 out of 181 late term foetuses who were aborted for “abnormalities” survived late term abortions but all of them in the period studied died “post-natally”;
(2) further notes that babies born after around 22 weeks of gestation have a significant chance of survival which increases sharply with each further week of gestation to, at around 26 weeks, achieving a very high chance of survival if given even minimal care, and that the death of every one of these babies in the period studied therefore suggests that they were neglected to death, if not deliberately killed; and
(3) therefore requires the Family and Community Development Committee to inquire into, consider and report on the post-natal deaths of babies born alive in Victoria after failed abortions, with particular reference to the 2007 Annual Report of the Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity.

In a media release on 29 July, Peter Kavanagh said: “After a debate described by observers as "vicious" and "brutal"
the Legislative Council last night, rejected a motion to have the deaths of babies who are born alive following abortions investigated by a committee of the Parliament. The motion was lost twenty-seven votes to nine votes, after ALP MP's were instructed to vote against it.

In a media release following the vote, Peter Kavanagh said: "Brian Tee and Gayle Tierney for the ALP together with Colleen Hartland for the Greens launched a coordinated personal attack on me. All of them asserted facts which were contradicted by the very documents to which they referred. It even got to the absurd situation of all of them 'reading' parts of my motion that did not exist - they were reading drafts that were not part of the motion. They did not even read the motion they were arguing against!

"I was told by several distressed ALP MP's that they had to vote against my motion. They said that the ALP decided to vote against the proposed investigation because it did not want anything at all that even hinted at abortion to be mentioned at the time of the elections.

"My motion was simply a call to investigate the deaths of babies. The fact that these babies have been born alive after
'failed' abortions seems to mean that abortion staff think that those babies do not have a right to live, even after they
have been born alive. Last night's vote suggests that unfortunately this is also the attitude of a majority of Victoria's politicians" Mr Kavanagh said.

I had written personally to every Member of the Legislative Council prior to the debate on Peter Kavanagh's motion, asking them to support his call for an inquiry into these babies' deaths. The Hon. Robert Smith, MLC, President of the Legislative Council, replied to me assuring me that he intended to speak in depth with Peter Kavanagh on this matter. But he didn't speak to Peter, nor offer him any support, no doubt on instructions from ALP headquarters who would not allow a conscience vote on the motion.

During the debate the Emily's List feminists made emotional speeches claiming the babies were "wanted" babies but were aborted because of birth defects and were cuddled by their parents till they died. Well what sort of birth defects? A cleft palate or something more serious? In any case, why reject an inquiry?

Adult stem cell research far ahead of embryonic
An article by Malcolm Ritter of Associated Press in July 2010 acknowledged that adult stem cells were achieving results far ahead of embryonic stem cells. Ritter cites the case of a patient with a broken ankle that would not mend despite multiple surgeries, but was healed with an injection of his own bone marrow adult stem cells.

An extensive review of stem cell projects and interviews with two dozen experts reveal a wide range of potential treatments. Adult stem cells are being studied in people who suffer from multiple sclerosis, heart attacks and diabetes. Some early results suggest stem cells can help some patients avoid leg amputation. Recently, researchers reported that they restored vision to patients whose eyes were damaged by chemicals.

Apart from these efforts, transplants of adult stem cells have become a standard lifesaving therapy for thousands of
people with leukemia, lymphoma and other blood diseases.