On 15 February 2026 surrounded by her loving family, Margaret Tighe Australia's best known pro-life advocate passed from this world. Margaret became ill in late 2025, typically as she was going out the door to yet another Right to Life Australia meeting. Having led the Australian pro- life movement for over 60 years, it is likely we shall not see the likes of her again. I have always thought of her as a prophet without renown in her own country.
Not everyone today would know that Margaret started her pro-life activism in the 1960's before the first abortion legislation was ever introduced into an Australian parliament. She watched the passage of the United Kingdom Abortion Act of 1967 with a sense of foreboding for Australia and was a founding member of the Caroline Chisholm Pregnancy Support Service in the nineteen sixties in anticipation of what would likely follow here. With the introduction of abortion legislation into Australia's federal parliament in May 1973, she realised pregnancy support services were not going to be enough to prevent the legalised killing of Australia's unborn children and joined in the fledgling Right to Life Victoria campaign against the bill scheduled for debate in May 1973. These were frenetic days...days when Margaret began addressing public meetings across Victoria. My first recollection of Margaret then, was another pro-life activist saying to me, "You should see her library of information and material on abortion, Denise!" It should be remembered that at this time she had a very young family of three and later, with the birth of a daughter, of four, the baby Elizabeth accompanying her to interstate conferences where I remember her being fondly nursed by eager babysitters.
When the dust had settled after the 1973 campaign, and remember the abortion legislation had been defeated 98 votes to 23, having served as Vice President of Right to Life Victoria to a busy Obstetrician / Gynaecologist, Margaret became President in 1974. The aims and objectives of the association were to be achieved by education, political action and social action upon which three committees were established, the latter ultimately resulting in the establishment of the currently existing national Pregnancy Help Line. Right to Life Victoria was to become Right to Life Australia with Margaret increasingly criss-crossing Australia to lobby at and sit in State and Federal legislatures whenever abortion or euthanasia was debated. I have a vivid memory of sitting wearily on my bedside in the early morning in the latter years of my working life and thinking, "Margaret will be at the airport now !" on her way to wherever there was legislation affecting the sanctity of life being debated. It was always comforting to know that there in the gallery, sometimes alone , sometimes in the dark late at night, "someone"... Margaret... kept watch, as if in solidarity, as the right to life was taken away from those unable to defend themselves.
Desiring as she so deeply did, for everyone to have a chance at life, Margaret shared her enjoyment with many others. Her hospitality and entertaining I always thought was legendary! In 1978 an entire busload of overseas attendees at an International Family Conference in Melbourne was offloaded at her home in Essendon to enjoy her and husband Ron's warm hospitality. Margaret as a lover of life, loved a party, music and entertainment! The entire Tighe family here deserves the Australian pro-life movement's acknowledgement for their unselfish cooperation and sharing of their mother's time in her noble pursuit. It's now up to us all to ensure her efforts are not wasted, to boldly accept the baton she has handed on to us. I am confident this will happen. So much of today's pro-life activism is a direct result of her example, inspiration and urging. May she now rest in peace with those she loved and so nobly defended in this life.
Denise M. Cameron...Editor
Pro-Life News - Summer 2026 - Editorial
Re-Printed with the Permission of the Pro-Life News Editor Denise Cameron