(no subject)

[melwil]

Question to my fellow Australians . . .

In the recent Abortion 'debate', have you heard any women speaking? Or is it just Tony Abbott, the guy from Family First, and the Governor-General (There's a trio that needs to be written)?

Also, is Tony Abbott still persuing the law which means doctors have to tell parents when they see someone under 18? (or was it 16?)



Don't mind me. I'm trying to make sense out of Australian politics

Comments

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

There were a lot of women in the Courier Mail on Saturday.

I notice that Melinda Tankard Reist hasn't said anything, which is curious. You'd think she'd be all over this -- unless she wants to distance herself from Family First.

Sad thing is, I'd agree with Tony Abbott, except that I swore an oath that I'd never support Abbot in anything. This is the dilemma faced by all pro-lifers with souls dubious past acquaintances with Tony Abbott...

[jennifergearing.livejournal.com]

See, there's an extent to which I agree with his point about late-term abortions, because, well, they *are* dangerous, and it *is* a little incongruous to have foetuses being aborted at 24 weeks while having premature babies in humidicribs at 23 weeks.

My major concern is the way he made late-term abortion sound like an epidemic. Not even 1% of the the abortions that occur in this country are post-20 weeks; the vast majority happen in the first 12-14. The majority of the late-term abortions have been in just the cases they should be: when there is a serious threat to the health of the mother.

Nobody *likes* abortion. Almost anyone who's been through it will tell you it's not as easy a decision as many pro-lifers make it sound, and is really quite a harrowing experience in general. But there are cases where it is necessary.
And whilst I can acknowledge people not wanting abortion to be funded by Medicare, what exactly do you do with someone who has been raped, or used birth control methods in that 1% of cases where it fails, who simply cannot afford an abortion? Should they really be forced to have the child by virtue of not having the money to pay for it?
There's a degree to which the concept of Medicare not paying for abortions *sounds* like a reasonable idea, but I simply can't see how it can be reasonably implemented in a way that *won't* drive more abortions underground and back into the 'coathanger in the backyard' years.

[krazykitkat.livejournal.com]

In NSW at least, any abortion after 20 or 21 weeks must be approved by a panel of doctors (including neonatologist, psychiatrist etc).
So in this state, you can't just have a late term abortion "willy nilly".
I'm not convinced he's not making an issue out of something that isn't a problem.