News: Virginia’s forced vagina intrusions for abortions

Mamamia News Thursday 16 February 2012 7:05am

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Legislators pass the forced ultrasound bill

Virginia’s vagina intrusion bill passes

The US state of Virignia has passed a bill which would require women to have a ‘transvaginal ultrasound’ if they wish to have an abortion. That’s it. No debate, no correspondence entered into. Website Daily Kos reported:

“The ultrasound legislation would constitute an unprecedented government mandate to insert vaginal ultrasonic probes into women as part of a state-ordered effort to dissuade them from terminating pregnancies, legislative opponents noted.

“We’re talking about inside a woman’s body,” Del. Charnielle Herring, a Democrat, said in an emotional floor speech. “This is the first time, if we pass this bill, that we will be dictating a medical procedure to a physician.”

The conservative Family Foundation hailed the ultrasound measure as an “update” to the state’s existing informed consent laws “with the most advanced medical technology available.”

The procedure is designed to guilt women into keeping their baby and serves no medical function.

Tiffiny Hall

Biggest Loser trainer Tiffiny Hall says she has ‘fat days’

The taekwondo and Biggest Loser trainer with a penchant for being tough as nails said during an interview even she had her off days. ”I don’t care what weight you are, I have days where I feel fat. I work on camera in white Lycra. I know I eat healthy but sometimes it’s just irrational. I’m not a model. I don’t look like a TV presenter – I’ve got muscles and a different sort of body type. We’ve all had the voice in your head that says, ‘You’re no good. You’re going to fail.’ Every woman knows what that feels like.” Hall’s father was an Olympic taekwondo trainer and she says she was used to going for early morning runs with him. “We’d get home and the juicer was always buzzing. It was built into our lives, so it was odd to join The Biggest Loser and meet people who thought that wasn’t normal.”

Worldwide scandal as think tank pays scientists to spread climate doubt

A United States think tank, with ties to influential figures around the world, is fighting claims it has orchestrated a campaign of human-inducted climate change ‘doubt’ which included efforts to discredit the science behind the theory in schools. The Heartland Institute stands accused of spending some $20 million so far on paying organisations and people to spread climate alarmism as part of a sustained campaign. Leaked documents show how widespread the problem is and name a prominent Australian scientist as a beneficiary of payments. As Fairfax reported:

The documents show geologist and marine researcher from James Cook University Professor Bob Carter receives a ”monthly payment” of $US1667 ($A1550), as part of a program to pay ”high-profile individuals who regularly and publicly counter the alarmist message”.

Professor Carter did not deny being paid by The Heartland Institute, but would not confirm the amount, or why it was paying him. He spoke at the ‘convoy of no confidence’ anti-carbon tax rally in Canberra last year.

”That suggestion is silly and offensive – a kindergarten-level argument,” he told The Age.

”Institutions or organisations simply pay for services rendered. In the same way that an architect is paid for their work, so are scientists.What they may make any payment to me for, I’m not discussing with anybody outside of my family.”

Heartland claimed one of the documents was a forgery, some ‘stolen’ and others ‘altered’.

Adele

Adele wants to ‘f*ck off’ for five years?

Short answer: no. She collected six Grammys this week but singer Adele says she wants to take time out to do a happy record and get in the right frame of mind. She originally told US Vogue: “I am f*cking off for four or five years. If I am constantly working, my relationships fail. So at least now I can have enough time to write a happy record. And be in love and be happy. And then I don’t know what I’ll do. Get married. Have some kids. Plant a nice vegetable patch.” Adele had previously said on US television: “I can’t write another break-up record, that would be a real cliche. It would just be like a boring running theme. People would be like, ‘I’ve had enough, now cheer up.’” But she later jumped on her blog and clarified the ’5 years’ quote: “I’ve a few days off now, and then it’s the Brit Awards here at home and then I’m straight into the studio. 5 years? More like 5 days!”

Qantas places more than a thousand jobs ‘on review’

With a forecasted drop in profits following increased fuel bills and prolonged industrial action, Qantas is now looking at cost cutting … and that may mean cutting work. The jobs of 1460 maintenance workers are now under review in two Melbourne sites and one site in Brisbane. The jobs of hundreds of other staff – including those in back office roles and on flights – will go as the airline scraps unprofitable routes.

Andrew Demetriou

AFL produces DVD that teaches violence against women is bad

A training DVD for younger players coming through the ranks of the sport has been launched by AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou and Victorian Crime Prevention Minister Andrew McIntosh. The DVD – called Tackling the Tackle: Respect is for Everyone – would be shown to 1100 clubs with young players in Victoria with a national distribution to follow. Mr McIntosh said: “If we don’t address the issue of family violence it will create inter-generational crime, and lead no doubt to substance abuse, problems in relation to housing, mental illness and of course inter-generational violence, a significant driver of crime. We want to spread the message that violence against women will not be tolerated.” Former Melbourne player Russell Robertson hosts the program, which also features current AFL players including Harry O’Brien and Tom Scully, as well as Kangaroos coach Brad Scott. “As a man that has three sisters … hearing all the facts, it astounded me that my sisters have to live in a world where they live in fear sometimes,” he said.

Prime Minister says Indigenous targets are being met

Julia Gillard delivered the annual Government report into its progress in Closing the Gap – the catch-all name given to cross-government strategies to improve the wellbeing and education standards for all – and says it is mostly on track. Fairfax reported:

“Julia Gillard said the government was on track to meet its targets of halving the gap in mortality rates for children under 5 by 2018, and to provide access to early childhood education to all indigenous 4-year-olds in remote communities by next year. Ms Gillard said good progress had been made in halving the gap in literacy and numeracy results by 2018. She said faster improvement would be needed to meet targets to halve the gap in year 12 attainment rates by 2020 and halve the gap in employment outcomes by 2018, but the targets could be reached. Ms Gillard said the aim of closing the gap in life expectancy between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians by 2031 was the most challenging of the six targets, which the government committed to when then-prime minister Kevin Rudd delivered the national apology in 2008.” Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commissioner, Mick Gooda said a measure should be included that tracks criminal justice and particularly the number of Indigenous kids in jail.