Abortions in Oz!

[foreigncorrespondent]

Hi,guys!

I'm sorry I haven't been around so much, but I have been working, and because my start and finish times change like the wind, I haven't had much time to myself.

Anyway, did you guys hear anything yesterday about abortions? Are they going after a woman's right of choice now? I only heard a fleeting comment about it while I was at work, and never heard anything after that.

[anakie]

1. Abbott called it an epidemic

but said he wont change anything. His under minister Pyne also said they would not introduce a bill to change a womans right to choose. Now seeing both of them said they wouldn't - how far can you trust them.

They are also being a bit disingenuous saying they favour banning "late term" abortion, of course putting out the image of abortion at 7 or 8 months when they are really talking about 2nd trimester terminations.

Here is what they say

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2004/s1231924.htm


The power is starting to go to their heads. Now Nelson wants to use that power to completely fuck over the universities. First thing is to ban compulsory student unionism - which of course will affect most if not all student organisations and on campus clubs. And he is going to take on the staff by going for a big push for AWA's.

Howard may be appearing humble about his power but his lackeys Abbott, Nelson, Andrew, Ruddock et al are rubbing their hands in glee about their social agendas. And we have got the next 3 years of these people.

[foreigncorrespondent]

2. Oh God!!!!

Our mates in the U.S. have had misery for the last four years, and now we are entering our misery for the next three years. It is gonna get bad.

Ok, in the U.S. they can impeach a president, what can we do here that is similar?

[Saynt]

3. GG

It happened in the Whitlam era... we need to get the Governor-General to sack the PM. Thing is... there are some factors which are different.

1. The then Opposition (Liberals) had control of the Senate in 1974, so the government was ineffective.
2. The current Government (Liberals) have control of the senate... well soon anyway... so they'll be over-effective.
3. The GG is in that incredible job that i want... with the $200k p.a. pension when he retires... because the PM appointed him.

So the only avenue is to cause a bi-election in Bennelong, and have John Howard removed from the race... that poses a problem though. The Libs are still in Government due to their massive majority. And Peter Costello is PM. And who wants that?

Looks like we're stuck for a bit.

[CiCi the Psychobunny]

5. Epidemic?

Oh, I get it - abortions are a sexually transmitted disease!

[no safe haven]

4. Hello 1954!

This is appalling, but predictable. Abbott is trying to stir up a *debate* due to *concerns* in the community. More like pandering to the FF agenda. He's even using terms like pro-life, pro-choice. I can't remember ever hearing those terms used here - in the US, yes, but not here. He's such a smug little shite. Give this country a couple more years and it'll be back to the days of coathangers and dark alleys....

But hopefully, the vote in the US will go Kerry's way and we won't have to watch the sickening spectacle of the Rodent&Cohorts humping *'s leg any longer. Go Dems :toast:

[Matilda]

6. Such a copycat agenda - Howard has never had an original thought

in his life, I'm sure.

What's the betting that by the end of his next three years the
universities will cater only for the elite, abortions will be
backyard affairs, schoolkids will be swearing allegiance to the
Queen and saluting the flag every morning, the pubs will all close
at 6.0 pm, and the country will close down on Sundays.

[no safe haven]

7. The Menzies years all over again

Oh yeah, that's right, Little Johnny wants to break Menzies record. I should have guessed he meant Menzies record in total social backwardness. Silly me. And don't forget censorship of just about everything. We'll be all forced to listen to Dad 'N' Dave again on the *wireless* before this fool gets through with us. Oh for the days of the 6 o'clock swill and all those other Liberal Party family values.
:scared:

[Matilda]

9. The days when people didn't ask questions

They did as they were told, read and listened to what the government
said they could, and never, ever rocked the boat. Life was safe,
predictable and very easily controlled. Menzies and the C of E
ruled.

No wonder Howard wants to take us back there.

[Djinn]

8. they can't really change the right to an abortion

as that's up to the states - they CAN refuse to fund it via Medicare meaning many women who need them will not be able to afford them - it's anti-choice by stealth.

[Violet_Crumble]

10. Exactly...

Abortion law is the responsibility of each state and territory, and seeing here in the ACT we had a long and eventually successful campaign to totally remove abortion from the criminal code (so far we're the only state or territory to have done that)...

Hell, the way the Liberals have been chomping into Medicare, pretty soon nothing's going to be covered anyway...

Violet...

[anakie]

11. Abbott is at it again

looks like we are in for a bit of a sh*t fight with these fascists in Canberra.

Abbott renews call for abortion debate

Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott says he remains concerned about too many abortions performed in Australia, despite criticism from fellow MPs.

Mr Abbott, Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson and South Australian Liberal Christopher Pyne have all expressed concern about the number of abortions performed.

All Coalition MPs have reportedly received a letter from the party whip urging them to be wary of the media on the abortion issue.

However, Mr Abbott says there needs to be new debate.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200411/s1234563.htm

Do you all think that our mob may be emboldened even further by the US result??

[Matilda]

12. Here they go - life under the right-wingers.

Bracks attacks "campaign" to reduce abortions.

"Victorian Premier Steve Bracks has accused some Federal MPs of
waging a "continuous campaign" to try to reduce the number of
abortions in Australia.

Queensland National Party Senator, Ron Boswell, has asked Federal
Health Minister Tony Abbott for information on the number, cost and
providers of abortions in Australia.

Mr Abbott said last year Australia was facing an "epidemic" of
100,000 abortions a year."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1293445.htm

Of course, Boswell wouldn't have been put up to this by anyone,
would he? Between Abbott and Family First we'll end up banished to
the kitchen and wearing chastity belts.

[canberra]

13. I don't have a problem with a "campaign" to reduce abortions

I do have a problem if there is a campaign to reduce the right to choose. Like most people in Australia I am pro-choice, not pro-abortion.

This campaign should have a few elements - increased sex education, increased availability of contraception, increased support for young mothers, increased minimum wage, reduced unemployment, higher social security payment to young mothers etc

[Matilda]

14. It is about the right to choose.

What they really want (as Djinn said above) is to cut or cease
altogether Medicare funding for abortions. That means of course
that the wealthy will be able to pay as necessary, while the
poor will be forced into illegal, and no doubt, backyard abortions,
just like the bad old days. Because if a woman is desperate enough,
she will do whatever it takes.

That is what is wrong.

On top of that, of course, Abbott is subliminally pushing the idea
that abortions have almost become the fashion, and women are having
them on a whim. If they really want to cut the abortion rate, the
government should be funding more sex education classes, but I'm
sure that making contraception available to teens, for example,
wouldn't sit with Abbott's brand of conservative Catholicism.

(And to pre-empt any charge of Catholic bashing, I am Catholic).

[SweetLeftFoot]

15. Opus Dei

Is Abbott Opus Dei? I've been away from home too long and have started to forget stuff like this.

[Matilda]

17. Good question.

I did a Google search and came up with this from Mike Seccombe
early last year:

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/11/1081621834807.html


And this, with some links worth following:

http://www.cathnews.com/news/403/162.php


I'd say he's certainly sympathetic to their views.

God save us from the Christian Right!

[SweetLeftFoot]

20. Cheers

for the links. Evil bastard that Abbott.

[Esra Star]

16. I think that this is just

the first "distractor" issue of the year.
Just throw a divisive issue out there and watch everyone
get into a lather.
"As long as they are not talking about embarrassing things,
like interest rate rises and WMD and .....

[velvet]

18. well

I may be being too optimistic here, but it seems to me Abbott is increasingly out in the cold on this issue ...

Joe Hockey has supplied the figures Abbott said didn't exist ("no reliable figures") and surprise, surprise, far from there being an "epidemic", abortion numbers have fallen. Acording to Hockey, "the number of abortions in Australia has dropped by 5,000 in the past nine years." http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1294159.htm?fp_news_stor

Further on in that article, Brendan Nelson says he supports Medicare-funded abortions and sees no need to change existing federal laws.

Bob Carr: "New South Wales Premier Bob Carr has also released abortion figures for his state, says the laws there will not be changed. Mr Carr says that out of the 31,600 abortions in New South Wales last year, only 200 were late-term. "They're the figures people have been asking for out of New South Wales," he said. "Overwhelmingly, 99.3 per cent are early abortions and those that aren't are there because the life of the mother is threatened, the foetus is dead, or there's a gross foetal abnormality. "Now, is there a case for a change in the way we handle abortion, in those figures? I think not."


I sure hope the states will stand firm on this.

[Matilda]

19. It surprises me that many consider Abbott a potential PM

(himself not least). He does have a tendency to shoot off his mouth
without checking his facts, and is too often shown to be, at the
least, exaggerating when he puts his case for whatever issue he's
trumpeting.

He doesn't seem to be able to think on his feet either - when
cornered, he can't even slide out gracefully, but tends to become
belligerent and abusive.

If Howard is the consummate politician, it's not least because he
generally knows how to cover his tracks, siphon off responsibility,
duck and weave, and play dumb in a very sincere way when necessary.
All Abbott seems capable of is bludgeoning, bullying and very
clumsy - er - exaggeration.

But given what I just said about Howard, and thinking of his
closeness to Abbott, I'm inclined to think Howard's sticky fingers
are in this somewhere, and Abbott's just happy to play good cop,
bad cop with him.