Tony Abbott and the Abortion Taboo

On March 16, Tony Abbott addressed the Adelaide University Democratic Club on the subject of 'The Ethical Responsibilities of a Christian Politician'. It's worth stressing the title, because from the reporting of the event it's likely most readers have the impression that he delivered a speech on abortion. In fact the subject does not arise until the fifth page of a seven-page speech, as the third example of his broader thesis: that for a Catholic politician, the principal duty was not so much applying Church teaching but to 'try to ensure the civic order reflects prudence, temperance, fortitude and justice - the universal virtues first elaborated by Aristotle'.