Thousands of pro-life protesters took to the streets of Brisbane, Australia, in a “Rally for Samuel” after images circulated online suggesting a perfectly formed baby boy survived an abortion and was then allowed to die as he sucked his thumb.
More than 2,000 pro-life campaigners gathered outside Queensland Parliament on George Street on Monday, Feb. 9.
Joanna Howe, a practicing Catholic, law professor at the University of Adelaide, and mother of five, was a key speaker at the event. She reportedly received images from an unnamed hospital worker showing the aborted baby sucking his thumb after surviving the procedure but allegedly being left to die. She reportedly circulated the images of “Samuel” online.
“This is baby Samuel. Born alive after an abortion at 16 weeks, he sucked his thumb in the Butterfly Room at a Queensland hospital,” wrote Howe on social media, in a post accompanying a supposed graphic image of the aborted child.
“He lived for over 30 minutes. He was perfectly healthy prior to his abortion.”
Babies who survive an abortion have no legislative right to equal treatment and care under Queensland law, said Howe.
“He was left to die. No one picked him up, wrapped him, or gave him any medical care to alleviate his pain and suffering.”
Howe said the photo had been passed to her by a hospital worker who was called to look upon the boy by others “who were watching him as he sucked his thumb after his abortion.”
“Already it is being censored online, and pro-abortion activists are seeking to identify the brave whistleblower who risked their career to give us this photo,” added Howe.
Townsville Hospital and Health Service Chief Executive Kieran Keyes reportedly said an investigation is underway for a “serious breach of confidentiality” after the image was shared on social media.
Some media reports said that Queensland Health denied that “Samuel” had been born alive. Queensland’s government is understood to be making moves to remove the images from social media channels.
A spokesperson from the Queensland Office of the Health Ombudsman reportedly said breaches of privacy allegations “by health service providers, particularly those involving sensitive healthcare information, are treated with the utmost seriousness.”
Michelle Pearse, chief executive officer of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL), also discussed the Brisbane protest in an email to supporters on Feb. 13.
Pearse said the protesters called upon the Queensland Government to overturn the “undemocratic ban” imposed by the state’s Premier on any discussion regarding abortion in Parliament.
“This is where freedom of speech and protection of life intersect,” said Pearse.
“Parliament, of all places, should be a place for MPs to freely table important matters of debate. But the topic of abortion remains censored—despite the significant proportion of the community that are concerned with this issue.”
The CEO described the parliament’s reaction as “unsurprising,” adding that “cancel culture is the demon of the West.”
“Abortion and biological reality are off limits,” she said, and implored ACL supporters: “But I hope that, like me, this only spurs you on to declare the truth even more faithfully and with greater courage.
“They’ll call you a bigot, but know that you’re not. You simply believe that babies in utero—male and female—were created in God’s image. Because of this, their lives and their sex are sacred.
“May we fight and run like the apostle Paul, who said as his death approached, ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful’ (2 Timothy 4:7).”
Queensland allows pregnancy terminations up to 22 weeks “for any reason” under The Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018. Abortions after 22 weeks are permitted if two doctors agree that the procedure is appropriate based on the mother’s circumstances.
“Doctors must consider the medical circumstances of the pregnancy, the mother’s current and future physical, psychological, and social circumstances, and any relevant professional standards and guidelines,” states the Queensland Government on its website.
Last Christmas (2025), Townsville University Hospital—where “Samuel” was allegedly aborted at 16 weeks—celebrated “a time for miracles” with the birth of “sweet Stevie O’Reilly,” born at 22 weeks and two days.
“The most premature baby in Australia ever to survive, Stevie was born almost four-and-a-half months early, on a family holiday more than 4,000 km from home, her life saved by the neonatal and paediatric surgical teams at Townsville University Hospital (TUH),” said a hospital press release on Dec. 23, 2025.
“Her mother, Bree Basille, said she and her husband Jake, from Perth, still wake up most mornings in disbelief about the experience they lived through.
“Stevie was born at TUH on July 17, at 22 weeks and two days, after her mother went into premature labor with twins on a family holiday in Cairns.”
