Julie Bishop
by JULIE BISHOP
This post has been written in response to an article posted on Mamamia yesterday by Health Minister Tanya Plibersek, you can read that HERE.
It is deeply troubling that Health Minister Tanya Plibersek has sought to exploit the very personal, emotional and often traumatic issue of abortion to launch a selective and misleading political attack on Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.
For the record, I am pro-choice and voted in support of the 2006 legislation to remove the effective Ministerial veto over approval of the abortion drug RU486.
Ms Plibersek makes the false assertion that as Health Minister Tony Abbott misrepresented advice from the Chief Medical Officer at the time. Not only is it untrue, Tony in fact publicly released that advice in 2005. Ms Plibersek also asserts that Tony Abbot sought to retain a veto over RU-486 “so he could prevent it being imported into Australia”.
Yet the readily-available official public record shows that assertion is also false.
It has been Tony Abbott’s consistent position that the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia has sole responsibility for the registration of RU-486 and he has confirmed that he will not change that arrangement in government.
Tanya Plibersek
Ms Plibersek well knows this to be the case, for shortly after the Parliamentary debate on RU486, her NSW Labor colleague and MP John Murphy asked Tony Abbott in the Parliament in March 2006 about “the article published on the Catholic News Agency website on 20 March 2006 titled ‘Two more women die after taking abortion drug RU-486’ which reported that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not pulled Mifeprex, the drug known as RU-486, despite the fact that the FDA has reported that two more women died after taking the drug, that there have been seven reported deaths in the USA and 12 deaths worldwide of women who took RU-486 and that the FDA has received more than 800 reports of complications caused by the drug RU-486.” Mr Murphy also asked what actions Minister Abbott was taking to “prevent the sale of RU-486”.
Tony responded by pointing out that at that time RU-486 was not registered for legal use in Australia and that “The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is the Commonwealth regulatory agency responsible for the regulation of therapeutic goods in Australia.
The Government has no position on the suitability of RU486 (mifepristone) for use in Australia because the quality, safety and efficacy of the drug for general marketing has not been assessed by the TGA. This is because no sponsor has ever applied to register RU486 in Australia.”
One wonders why Ms Plibersek has been so selective in singling out Tony Abbott for voting against the 2006 legislation to remove Ministerial oversight over RU-486, when two of her currently-serving Cabinet colleagues, Environment Minister Tony Burke and Communications Minister Stephen Conroy along with other Labor members also voted against that legislation.
Tony Abbott
Has Ms Plibersek called on her own Cabinet colleagues to clarify their attitudes regarding abortion?
As Ms Plibersek is now Health Minister, one also wonders why she failed to disclose her membership of EMILY’s List, an organisation founded in the United States to support pro-choice women into public office.
That organisation has been strongly criticised for its support of totally unregulated abortion including late-term abortion. Many women who are pro-choice, like me, find these propositions deeply troubling.
Tony Abbott’s public position on abortion is that it be “safe, legal and rare”.
Ms Plibersek’s demands for disclosure from others would have more credibility if she adopted the same standards for herself and revealed her attitude towards EMILY’S List support for unregulated and late-term abortion.
Sadly, her article in Mamamia yesterday was part of Labor’s dishonest campaign against Tony Abbott, rather than a genuine attempt to debate health policy.
Julie Bishop is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Shadow Minister for Trade.
Comments
188 Comments so far
Julie, there are a lot of women who would agree with Tanya on this one. Why is she not free to express her views and in doing so also represent the views of those women who feel similarly and may I say quite about this but don’t have the same avenues for publishing their opinions (unless it’s in response to a published article). Why do we need to remain silent on this because it does not suit Tony (or you) for us to express our opinions on this subject.
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Julie, there is a rare condition that can affect a woman at any stage of her pregnancy whether it be a natural miscarriage, surgical or medical abortion or even during childbirth itself that can cause fatal sepsis. Given Tony was Health Minister at the time, how is it that he did not know this and instead aligned himself with the typical anti-abortion rally’s scare-tactics about the drug, warning women about the use of the drug rather than warning them about the risks associated with pregnancy. Tony’s Catholic tending views are well known and even aside from abortion there are similarly contentious issues such as euthenasia, stem-cell research etc that the general public feel strongly about and Tony clearly cannot be trusted to guide either policy or legislation in these areas. They have got away with dictating on these issues on so-called ‘moral[‘ grounds for far too long. Why should the extremist views of a minority in the population determine policy and legislation for the majority? Would Tony Abbott allow a referendum on these subjects?
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Julie Bishop will support Tony Abbott and keep this issue alive because there is a drive to allow use of an unapproved and therefore unsafe drug like RU486 on the market. The position of any pro-choice organisation and those who support it is relevant because THEY are forcing the issue by endorsing such abortion drugs and other inhumane procedures. Takes courage to respond to the well-drilled machine of pro-choicers, but there are many more of us apart from the Liberal Party.
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Gee…I hope that my polite request to the minister to inform us of her personal views on this subject wasn’t considered too rude, inappropriate or totally OTT !
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I imagine it probably was OTT.
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They work for us, so therefore should be able to answer any questions asked by their constituents.
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Ms Bishop, you are exploiting the issue by bringing late term abortion and Emily’s list into a debate about RU486. Both of these things have nothing to do with the issue.
I posted yesterday about my experience using RU486. As far as I can see from the comments I am the only person here who has actually used it. But my post for some reason was moderated out. I’d love to see MM actually publish a piece on what it’s like to take RU486 vs a D&C and see if it really fits into people’s idea of the reality of the situation.
It would have been nice to see a response from Ms Bishop that only addressed RU486 and not all of the political digs this contains. This issue is too important to be political. It’s really about a person’s choice regarding their own medical care.
I’m a swinging voter but will never vote for Tony Abbott. It’s not about sexism or misogyny or anything that Labor spouts. I just find his know it all attitude condescending and paternalistic and I don’t believe he has what it takes to be a PM.
On a side note, I’m disgusted he hasn’t read the judgement about Ashby. A high court judge accuses a Liberal party member of some pretty heinous things and he doesn’t even bother to read it? Sheesh. How can he ever understand issues if he only bothers to read these things? How can I trust him to make decisions for the good of the community if he doesn’t read broadly before commenting and developing policy?
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I would like to know the personal opinion of Ms Plibersek, the Minister for Health, on this issue if at all possible. Thank you.
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I think you’ll find she is pro-choice
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Completely superficial, I know, but did anyone else see the picture of these two women and think, “WOAH! Are they related?”
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I find all these comments along the lines of ‘Tony Abbott could never change the law, so who cares what he thinks’ baffling. Of course we should care about the values and views of our Leaders. If he were openly racist or homophobic, would we declare that okay as long as he couldn’t change the laws? Of course not…
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Curious, Wayne swan has just admitted that there won’t be any surplus, as promised repeatedly by swan and Gillard. So what is their strategy? Tell the electorate that Abbott is a sexist misogynist again. Are we really that dumb?
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Penny to a pound they’ll blame Abbott Abbott Abbott.
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Aside from the poor economic management, corrupt mps and incompetence in carrying out many o f their policies, this is what bugs me the most. The attitude that the Australian public will swallow anything.
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Some will swallow anything, MOTCM’s !
But as they say…you can fool some of the people all of the time but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time !
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Wow there is quite a bit of argy bargy going on in the comments section here! So first up people seem to be hating on the fact that Tony Abott is a Catholic – just because he has a particular set of personal values doesnt mean he will force them into government – I work with a catholic an anglican and a mormon – do you know how often one of them tries to get me to see their religious view? NEVER! Because thats not what our job is about! So many of you commenting, like the government, are debating about people instead of policy. I read Tanya’s article yesterday, (and I am a strong liberal voter) and whilst I understand she is trying to ask Tony what his point is, what Julie is doing today is saying what the position is and asking Tanya for hers (which she noticeably left out). At the end of the day it is the government of the days responsibility to work on these issues – Labor has been that for how many years now? and still nothing has been done. So they can mud sling at Liberals that could do something about it several years ago, but once they are in havent done much themselves.
It is a very very sensitive topic and so many people have wide and varied views, I myself believe its up to the individual and as Tony says in a safe, legal and rare manner. It does become quite dangerous for a woman to have too many abortions and can cause complications. So safe rare and legal seems a pretty good stance to me.
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Very eloquent and fair . That’s exactly what i was trying to say and you have expressed it perfectly .
The religion referance ……me thinks some people “hang around” too much with people like that “Buffoon” Peter Fitzsimons.
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Julie Bishop – this is an issue because women are worried that Tony Abbotts religious beliefs could affect control of their own body. This issue will not go away until Abbott makes a statement. Female Liberal voters are turning to Labor.
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Where ? Certainly not according to the MM preferred PM poll. Certainly not according to the latest two party preferred poll.
Where is this happening ?
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I don’t think that poll is very effective at showing true stats, you can vote more than once.
I did to test it, and both times for my preferred PM
So whats to say people aren’t double voting or triple voting etc etc etc.
You can’t vote more than once in an election so I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
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Gotta love the selective dismissal of poll results that don’t suit ones position! I voted for myself and for the girls and women in my family who oppose E.M.I.L.Y’s List open slather abortion agenda.
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Do you have some proof of this agenda?
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Twice now you’ve mentioned the mm poll, Bradley. It was you repeatedly pressing Tony Abbotts button, to put him in first place, wasn’t it. By the way these polls don’t mean anything in the real world.
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It wasn’t Bradley, it was me.
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I see you Bradley / anon. Now I know it was you! That takes dedication to press that little button that many times.
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As Prime MInister, Tony Abbott would have little personal control over huge moral issues like abortion. He would be subject to his colleagues in Cabinet and of course to the electorate. I don’t think anyone need fear that he would majorly change current abortion laws. (though I personally would be glad to see a tightening of the Victorian on-demand abortion laws)
… and why is it that abortion has become the measure of supporting women’s rights to be all that she’s meant to be. Many women believe that true freedom comes with working around fertility and child bearing – without resorting to abortion. Sadly, career and economic imperatives of people like the Gillard posse of women, have led women to believe that abortion must be in the ‘kit bag’ of every successful woman. No so, I believe.
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Actually, you and your friends are telling yourselves that, and you’re believe what your friends are saying.
You need to get out more. The Female vote hasn’t changed.
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Just as male Voters Are turning away from labor because they keep playing the gender card . Jul a Gillard’s numbers with men ave always been worse with men than Abbotts have been with women.
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I am a little confused. There is a lot of discussion about the pros and cons of Emilys List centering around whether or not members support / accept late term abortion in these comments. If the right to abortion is all about a woman’s right to choose what is right for her body, and the aborted substance is not a life, but just a collection of cells, what is wrong with late term abortion?
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It’s something that gets wheeled out by conservatives against ALP pro-choice women repeatedly. With no actual foundation, it would seem. Aside from the fact that they quite transparently support ALP women and are pro-choice.
Noise about nothing with nothing to back it up.
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Just a bunch of cells…? Prem babies regularly survive from 30 weeks. But it’s ok to abort a baby two weeks prior to this?
Not saying it’s a clear cut issue, but please don’t pretend it’s just a collection of cells.
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A 24 weeker has a 60% survival rate. My daughter was a 26 weeker and is perfectly healthy. I’m pro choice, but I believe in regulation. A bunch of cells is completely and utterly inaccurate.
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My son was was 28 weeks gestation when he was born. I held him for his entire 2 hour life. He was a perfectly formed little boy.
He wasn’t a collection of cells.
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Which is exactly my point – in my opinion the point at which a collection of cells becomes a tiny life is impossible to define because it happens at conception.
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It doesn’t happen at conception. You cannot identify a human shape at conception.
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Labor is ‘exploiting’ the abortion issue because the Liberal Party’s choice in Leader has somewhat put this issue back on the agenda – where it never should’ve been. The Liberal Party need to accept that a certain segment of women will always have an issue with Tony Abbott no matter how many times his wife or female Deputy defend him. If the Liberals want this issue to go away, then they need to change Leader. And that Leader needs to be vocal about rejecting the views of religious faction that have emerged in the party such as Abbott, Andrews and Bernardi. It’s as simple as that.
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It wasn’t the Therapeutic Goods Association that invited Right to Life to participate in the RU-486 debate. It was Tony Abbott. And Julie Bishop conveniently leaves that out.
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So what? Just because you don’t like what they have to say doesn’t make their opinions any less valid.
I don’t like the right to life nut jobs in any way. However, in a free society they have the absolute right to have their opinions heard.
Which bit of that do you find offensive?
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Not at all. They have NO place in a debate about whether a pill is safe for women. It was not meant to be a debate on abortion but their inclusion made it one.
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You just don’t get it do you. We live in an open society which means that every group with a hammer to bang has an absolute right to have their opinion heard. To do anything less is to allow ourselves to descend into a totalitarian society where all sorts of rights are abused. Think of the societies that I’m talking about. China, with forced abortions, soviet russia, with deliberate starvation, nazi germany with anti semitism, Cambodia, with execution of the educated.
Is that the way you want to go?
I don’t like the right to lifers any more than you do. I’m pro choice and I’m a moderate Liberal, but they still absolutely must, in a free society, be given the opportunity to be heard.
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Freedom of speech must be absolute to be any freedom at all.
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I think the point the commenter is making is that if Ms Bishop is going to criticise Ms Plibersek for failing to “disclose” (whatever that means, it’s very publicly available and not something she is ashamed of) her membership of EMILY’s List; then one would expect Ms Bishop likewise to be prepared to “disclose” Mr Abbott’s relationship with members of Right to Life.
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It is obvious that abortion stirs at all of us from deep within our thoughts of morality, faith and logical assessment of a serious situation. The truth is that we all want an outcome that is right for all involved. The argument against any one person in this debate is absurd as is the tendency to dismiss an entire political party because of the perceived opinions of one of its members. Contributors to these comments say things like ” I will never vote for Tony Abbott” or “Julia Gillard is a liar and I’ll never vote for her”. It is time to wake up and understand we vote for parties not individuals. We all have opinions as do our pollies, I don’t vote for Tony Abbott I vote for the Liberal Party because I believe they do a better job at keeping the economy on track which in turn gives us the money to pay for the social work that is so desperately needed in our community. If the Labor party did the same I would vote for them, but how do you fund excellent programmes like an NDIS or Gonski when you can’t deliver a surplus?
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I think Julie has put forward a rational and measured arguement but the fact remains that Tony’s Abbott strong Catholic beliefs can’t allow him to ever agree with even the idea of abortion. My concern is that if he wins the next election he will start to errode the rights women have fought incredibly hard under the guise of ‘better enconomic management’ ie – abortion is removed from Medicare rebate to ‘better support the ecomony’ etc.
It’s a very real possiblity and not one I am prepared to accept so I cannot ever vote Liberal.
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What rubbish. The LNP will never remove the right to abortion. It’s about as likely as the world ending today (in which case it really doesn’t matter at all), or the ALP is able to deliver a budget surplus.
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I have to agree with you. I can’t stand Tony Abbott, would never vote Liberal, and I’m as pro-choice as all get out, but I can’t for one minute see that if he was Prime Minister that he’d manage to get an act through parliament that would make us go backward in terms of how accessible abortion is.
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Unfortunatley it doesn’t take an act of Parliament to remove medicare rebates which was my point.
All medical services are expensive, termination included, soif the medicare rebate is removed it pushes it out of reach for a lot more women than it already does.
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Unfortunately it doesn’t take an act of Parliament to remove medicare rebates which was my point.
All medical services are expensive, termination included, soif the medicare rebate is removed it pushes it out of reach for a lot more women than it already does.
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I disagree Zepgirl – it depends on the majority they get in parliament. Here in QLD we have NO recourse against the LNP as their majority was so big. We have to suffer all of their decisions including their latest relaxing the gun laws.
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Sorry, should have clarified. There would be such a massive uproar from the community on this issue that it wouldn’t make it through.
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It wouldn’t matter if the majority was only 1 in Queensland. The Labor Party abolished the upper house which has always given the government open slather.
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Zepgirl, we often disagree, and that’s ok. But there is no was the moderates of the party would allow that to happen.
I’m not a huge fan of abortion, but I think they should be available, safe and rare. To get me to agree to any change to that I’d have to have a gun shoved up my nose.
What is obviously becoming a bigger issue is the timing of abortion. Should a viable baby be aborted? There was a story in the paper the other day about a baby of about 22 weeks (give or take a week) gestation surviving.
Should we allow the termination of a baby that can survive outside the womb? Now there’s a hundred kilo can of worms.
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Yeah, the timing thing has me torn. Like I said, I’m very much pro-choice (though have serious doubts as to my own ability to go through an abortion if the situation presented itself to me), but I have also been present at births of very, very prem babies that went on survive. I suppose my point is that even if there was a Liberal majority in the House of Reps and the Senate that I don’t see abortion laws changing all that much because it’s such a contentious issue that people would be up in arms if a politician tried to start messing with them.
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What you are all overlooking here is the fact that abortion ISN’T completely legal in a number of Australian States and Territories. It’s only in Victoria and the ACT that abortion is legal on request; everywhere else you have to provide specific reasoning or even, at a certain term, be assessed by a panel, members of which are appointed by the State Government (WA). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_Australia
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Reads like you have always voted Labor and i don’t think Abbott changing his views on abortion or anything else will change your vote – agreed ?
You betta pray Tony Burke (“Labor for Life”) doesn’t become PM . You will have to vote for the Greens , and then God help us .
Tanya as Health Minister is a “puppet” . Look at her face at media interviews .
I feel sorry for her – she doesn’t believe in most of her changed policies .
The Budget Surplus – “kapoot” – “finito” . Well done Labor !
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Not at all actually. I am generally a swing voter – I have voted for both Labor and Coalition. At this point though I still have to throw my lot in with Labor – could they do a better job, absolutely. Are they a better choice than a party with Abbott at the helm, again, absolutely.
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The question is not “could they (Labor) do a better job” ?
They have been in power for about 5/6 years . The question is ..
“are they doing the best job possible” ?
Would Malcolm “swing” your vote ? – I don’t think so . And you voted for John Howard did you ?
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Reads like you never have and never will vote Liberal even if Tony Abbott changed his views – am i correct ?
You betta pray Tony Burke (“Labor for Life”) doesn’t become PM . You’ll have to vote for the Greens and God help us if they get more power.
Unfortunately Tanya is a “puppet” as Health Minister and does not look like she has 100% belief in her policy changes. I feel sorry for her, in some media interviews sounds and looks like….”get me out of here ! ”
I’m not talking about her opinion on abortion. I’m sure that’s her view 100% but please stop with the misogyny rubbish. Have a good look inside your own party Tanya . You might be surprised what some of them really think.
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A request to Julie Bishop, I’d like to hear from you about what you would do as Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister. I’m confused about what you stand for as a politician. My impression of you is quite negative from your roles in the leadership change from Turnbull to Abbott and the Union / Legal media storm. I feel like you are “used” by your party to perform certain tasks because you are a woman and that makes me very uncomfortable. This is a genuine question, I would really like to hear directly from you how you would perform your role if elected to government.
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Me too – I love this question. I feel that there is so much negativity coming from the LNP and I want to hear how she would to a better job for Australia – in positive terms, not just by slandering the opposition.
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Impossible.
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Tracy,
That’s a valid question. It’s always hard for those in opposition to paint a positive picture, their job in opposition is to oppose, which makes them look negative. Every opposition team has this problem. It’s also a vital part of our checks and balances built into our system. The best thing a government can have is a strong opposition. It keeps them on their toes. Look at the history of landslide electoral wins and the stuff ups that have followed due to the lack of a strong opposition. There have been a number of them in the last 20 to 30 years and the end result is the same, the government very quickly suffers internal problems implodes.
So it takes a bit of character to look past their roles as opposing the government to see what the opposition really stands for.
Julie Bishop is a very impressive woman, she’s smart (actually very smart), determined and has an amazing amount of self belief. She has a sense of humour and a very strong sense of social justice. It’s just hard to see that.
Political parties always choose the best person to put any particular messages. It’s not a gender thing, it’s about who is best for the job.
If you really want to know about Julie Bishop, look here. http://www.juliebishop.com.au/
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Hang on Julie… Didn’t the “EMILY’s list” to which Tanya Plebersek belongs to originate in the ALP as a vehicle to increase the number of women getting preselected to winnable seats? I believe the acronym Abbreviates “Early Money Is Like Yeast.”
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That’s correct John, and thank you for providing a balanced response. EMILY’s List is an organisation that was originally formed in America, but we have our own branch in Australia that has been active for 16 years in pushing the ALP to subscribe to affirmative action targets and preselect progressive women to winnable seats. We DO require all of our endorsed candidates to sign a pledge outlining their support of policies that are important to us and our members, and one of these is that they will vote pro-choice.
This ongoing habit within the Liberals of demonising the work we do at EMILY’s List is fairly bizarre – perhaps if they had a support and mentoring group like EMILY’s List in the Liberal Party, we wouldn’t be stuck with 21% representation of women in the Queensland Parliament.
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Thank you Julie, and thank you Mamamia for publishing this response.
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I just want to put this out there: It is only a TINY percentage of abortions that are performed late-term. And these are done because the child will not survive outside the womb, is already dead or birth will kill the mother. Encephalitis is a condition that comes to mind. So Julie, you article implies you are against late-term abortion? Great work, let’s take away the remaining smidgen of control some women have over their doomed pregnancy- the choice of when to end it, to be surrounded by people who care when it happens. That is why late-term abortion is needed. Women do not just get to 8 months pregnant and decide “oh, I’ve changed my mind”. Have a little compassion.
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“And these are done because the child will not survive outside the womb, is already dead or birth will kill the mother.”
If it won’t survive outside the womb, that isn’t justification for ending its life prematurely – the same with everyone after birth.
If it’s already dead, then by definition that isn’t an abortion.
And if it will kill the mother, again most people wouldn’t define that as an abortion, and most doctors will tell you that there’s almost no situations which are clear-cut in that regard.
So I think it’s perfectly reasonable for Julie Bishop (along with the vast majority of Australians who agree with her) to say that late-term abortion should be treated differently from other abortions, and Tanya Plibersek should be upfront about her views on it.
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Nat, I agree that late term abortions are only a tiny percentage of terminations, and that most if not all are for absolutely valid medical reasons, (I think you meant encephalopathy? Encephalitis is swelling/fluid on the brain, which anyone an get. It’s similar to meningitis). But I think the point is if abortion is legalized in every state, as opposed to not being criminalized, there will be guidelines, and since Tanya plibersek is questioning Tony abbots stance on abortion, it is appropriate, as the health minister, that she explain hers. And, that there be written into law what is and isn’t acceptable under the law as a late term abortion, to avoid any circumstances where the law is abused. I think this is necessary whenever a new law is written.
Yes, the majority of late term abortions are for valid medical reasons, and are tragic. But the question ms bishop is asking of ms plibersek is where do we draw the line in non medical terminations? At what gestation? And shouldn’t there always have t o be a medical reason for a very late abortion? The way ms plibersek writes, this is unclear.
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Yes there are only a small percentage of late term abortions done mainly because you would be hard pressed to find a any doctor in Australia to do them. In fact I believe there is only one in Australia at the moment and he is a GP not a gynaecologist. As for Anencephaly, which is absence of a large part of the brain, this is picked up in very early in scanning these days so there would be no need to let the pregnancy continue until full term. I suggest you read about how the staff at the Royal Womens in Melbourne were traumatised when late term abortions were done, how some of the late term abortions were alive after the abortion or read the coroners case of Jessica Jane in the NT who was alive after a late term abortion. Don’t get me wrong I believe women should have access to safe abortions but I can’t agree that there is any justification for late term abortions. This is why I cannot vote for Julia Gillard because this is what she truly believes in and has been given awards by Emilys List advocating for “legislation in which the woman’s consent is the relevant factor not subject to any gestational limits”
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Errr, no, not all severe fetal abnormalities are picked up early (what is early? subjective term anyway). some women miss their early scans or do not have access to them? Or they have them done at a not-so-adequate clinic where a diagnosis is missed. I regularly and personally see women in my job showing up at 25+ weeks with a serious fetal abnormality through no fault of their own. Also, yes, unless the fetal heart is stopped using potassium chloride injection prior to delivery (usually only done at 23+) there is always the chance that the fetus will be alive. Sometimes for many hours. Parents and staff are aware of this. It’s not a surprise, an for some parents it is a comfort – a chance to spend some precious time with their baby while alive.
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Sometimes shit happens, it’s a function of life. You don’t always get what you want.
There’s no good reason to perform late term abortions apart from the life of the mother being compromised.
Sometimes babies are born with disabilities. That doesn’t give anyone the right to chop them up.
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Oh for God’s sake, When late term abortions are performed the fetuses are NOT chopped up. They are born vaginally, intact.
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are you kidding me? you say that the baby is injected with KCL to kill it and then it’s a comfort to watch the baby die. How is this comforting for anyone? Whoops I just stabbed you in the heart but let me hold you as you die. Sorry but that logic is strange to me
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I think the comfort is seeing the baby alive and spending time with them. Not having a jolly old time watching them pass away.
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I assumed most people would understand that, as I’m sure you did too Zepgirl. What a shame you had to explain it.
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Fantastic article Julie! Nice to hear the facts once in a while. Tony has my vote over Julia any day!
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Interesting that Tony Abbott didn’t write a response to Mia or Tanya’s request for him to clarify his position on abortion himself but got his female deputy too… Requesting for him to state his position is not “exploiting” the issue, Australians deserve to know what the alternative PM thinks about such an important issue and whether he has reconsidered his previous view that “abortion is the easy way out.” Until he can admit how misguided and revolting that statement is I’ll never believe that he is capable of making decisions in the best interests of Australian women.
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I’d just like to say that my neighbour has had four abortions and continues to be irresponsible in some of her choices. This is perhaps just one example where abortion has become the ‘easy’ option and therefore I agree with Julie and Tony when they say they would like abortions to be safe, legal and rare.
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really none of your business if she has had 4 abortions or not, is it. going by what you say, she is “irresponsible”, so what what you rather, she had those children and maybe not been able to fully care for them? or done the right thing for her at the time and terminated them. See how it’s really none of our business what a woman does with her body and life.
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Maybe she could use condoms? I heard that sometimes presents pregnancy?
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How do you know she didn’t. Condoms are good at preventing pregnancy, but not perfect. Either way , none of our business. She’s taking care of her business, maybe mind your own.
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Well it depends on your perspective about abortion – you clearly beleive it is solely her business and others don’t. The fact is we are talking about an unknown individual – so I don’t really see discussing the pro and cons of this as an example really a major invasion of her privacy. Of course – if she has been using condoms and still got pregnant FOUR times – I don’t know, maybe someone should give her some advice?
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If your neighbour is, as you say, irresponsible in her choices, I strongly suggest she may have the necessary life structure to bring a child (or four) in to. So I personally support her decision to have an abortion (or four).
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I totally disagree with you both. I do not condone her choices and think it speaks volumes about her judgement. perhaps she would think more seriously about contraception if she didnt think “oh I’ll just get rid of it if it happens’. An absolute abuse of the liberty afforded her by the many who fought for it. I’m glad she’s not a mother, but perhaps she should stop tempting fate so much. Please woman, get condoms!
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Oh and one more thing, I believe it IS my business. I am a member of society and have a right to form opinions based on the information and experiences aroubd me. I have not harrassed or abused her. I merely disagree with her choices and have spoken up about MY point of view. Just because it is different from yoursor difficult to hear should not exclude me from the conversation nor from the right to respond accordibg to my conscience. I am sure my tax dollars go into the health system as much as yours do.
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Anon2, it isn’t any of your business. The health system is there for everybody for whatever reason people may need it. You don’t get to dictate about a woman and the choices, good or bad, that she has made, and what services she uses. Just pretend “your” tax dollars go into roads, then you won’t be so indignant when someone has to have another abortion for whatever reason.
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Well, we all fund the health system -some much more than others – and indeed we are encouraged to have some input into the way the money is spent every election time.
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What Ash said!!!
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Psssstttttt….a word in your ear.
Tony Abbott is overseas. I doubt that replying to MM is high on list of priorities today.
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‘abortion is the easy way out’ – you have taken this way out of context. What he actually said was he didn’t think abortion should become an easy way out. There is a big difference. He also said they should be ‘legal, safe and rare.’ so he does not have an anti abortion stance. He said he thinks they should be legal, quite plainly, and that much should be clear to Tanya plibersek, if she weren’t so focussed on finding fault with the opposition rather than outlining her own policy.
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It’s not out context at all, abortion is never an “easy way out”, it is sometimes the best option in difficult circumstances but that doesn’t make it “easy.” Saying it is the “easy way out” shows how little understanding Tony Abbott has. There is no easy way out, and to suggest there is minimises the considerable thought and emotion that any woman would experience before/after having an abortion.
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I totally agree Ash. I think Tony Abbott needs to sit down with women the day after they’ve had an abortion and see just how ‘easy’ they’ve found it regardless of whether it was pill-induced or surgical. I find this attitude extraordinarily ignorant. Anti-abortionists seem to perpeutate this attitude that women just get pregnant willy-nilly because they know they can just have an abortion. Personally, i’ve never met a single person that falls into that category.
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Actually, I have had two, so I know it isn’t an easy way out, nor do I completely agree with Tony abbots views, or Julia Gillard’s on abortion. But what he said was he doesn’t think abortion should be allowed to become an easy way out, and that abortion should be legal, safe and rare. This I agree with. It isn’t easy, it is a medical procedure and can be traumatic- all reasons to avoid unwanted pregnancy, rather than allowing a culture to develop where abortion is seen as an easy way out. Hence the ‘rare’ part of his argument.
And yes, I vote liberal, but certainly not on social policy. Both major parties are significantly lacking in ths department. I vote liberal because they are far, far better economic managers, and have far less corrupt members. (I live in new where the state labor party is an absolute disgrace, but federal labor aren’t exactly moral pillars either).
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I don’t really think it is taken that out of context, you know. I know you’re a Lib, MOTCM, but if you read the article that it comes from, it’s pretty clear he’d like everyone to live under his Catholic beliefs. I also particularly enjoy the focus on teenage pregnancy when abortion stats show that it’s generally older women who have them. But whatever.
http://www.tonyabbott.com.au/LatestNews/ArticleswrittenbyTony/tabid/87/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/3653/RATE-OF-ABORTION-HIGHLIGHTS-OUR-MORAL-FAILINGS.aspx
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Anon2, there’s nothing wrong with saying we should strive for a society where there’s ultimately less abortion – but the way to do that is by better education, more access to birth control etc – not by restricting abortion in any way.
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Has anyone else noticed just how much Tanya Plibersek and Julie Bishop look like mother and daughter in the photographs on Mamamia’s main page? Ha Ha!
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“the article published on the Catholic News Agency website on 20 March 2006 titled ‘Two more women die after taking abortion drug RU-486’.
You’re sure that you’re sure that Tony read this? Cough. Ashby Finding. Ahem.
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You have to get rid of the Howard lot, Julie. There was too much done then that was bad. Tony Abbott’s run as health minister is a biggie for women and I’ll never vote for him to be in a position to affect women’s health concerns again.
Just renew your party, then come back and ask for our vote again.
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Did you read the article above which outlines Tony’s very rational and considered position re the abortion pill when he was health minister? What would you prefer had happened? Do you prefer a minister who exploits abortion as shamefully as the ALP seem so comfortable in doing?
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That Howard lot? sheesh, thats a stretch so many years on. Surely the greater need is therefore to get rid of this Latham lot.
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Labor just needs to stop exploiting. End of sentence.
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That’s what full stops are for. Full stops end the sentence, you don’t need to say it.
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I think that it is wonderful that your comment correcting my final sentence has received so many thumbs up.
Not one comment arguing against my comment. That is interesting.
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It’s not that interesting and it’s not that surprising. You made a general statement.
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But nobody chose to challenge the statement.
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Brad, that’s just the sisterhood sticking up for one of their own who has made a statement about nothing.
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Hi, anon. I see you have psychic abilities from the way you predict the gender of posters. I have two questions for you.
1. Are you male?
2. What are next weeks winning lottery numbers?
Thanks for your contribution.
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Did you have a statement to make, anon, or did you just come here to ‘stick it to the sisterhood’?
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Another labor personal mud sling followed the next day with a sheepish announcement that labor will yet again deliver a deficit. How many in a row is that now Labor??. Diversion much, it is so transparent.
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And not surprisingly a boost in the polls for liberal.
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Paint it any way you want Julie but I will NEVER vote for Tony Abbott!
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It’s not that the light fails to shine, it’s that people fail to see the light.
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But…..when I look at the MM poll, the suggestion is that a lot of people will !
Gillard, lagging behind in second place. Turnbull a very, very, very, very…..distant third !
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I bet you spent many days pressing that little button putting him in 1st place didn’t you Bradley. Cause he was lagging behind, waaaay behind. C’mon fess up.
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Not me !
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I have it on authority that a large number of right wing people associated with Right to Life Australia and other such groups have been voting on that poll over and over again in order to put Abbott ahead.
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I know for a fact that many right wing people associated with Right to Life Australia, March for the Babies and the LNP have been voting numerous times on that poll in order to skew the data.
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I don’t know if this image will come through clearly
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Damn, that has wrecked a near perfect representative sample.
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Another evil conspiracy.
Bad, bad, people of the right.
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Right on Sister! No matter if the ALP came out and said they would kill the first born of every family in Australia MY VOTE WON’T CHANGE. Tony Abbott is clearly an operative of the CIA. Meer facts and details won’t ever change my vote.
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Thank you Julie (and MM for publishing) that was an extremely interesting read. As many said yesterday in response to the earlier article, why isn’t Labor scrutinising its own Ministers and asking them to explain their position on abortion? And why, if Ms Plibersek is now the Health Minister isn’t she explaining what she’s doing about RU486?
I would love to hear more about Ms Pilbersek’s involvement with EMILY’S List as well frankly – I am a strong believer in a woman’s right to choose, but I too am very disturbed by late-term abortion.
As a woman, I am sick to death of the current Government screaming ‘sexism’ and trying to paint the Opposition as ‘anti-woman’ the nano-second they are scrutinised for their appalling decisions. It’s ludicrous and hopefully any smart woman would see these tactics for what they are – desperate vote grabbing.
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Well said. It’s annoying that Labor constantly demand that Abbott, Abbott, Abbott explain his position on an issue when so many of their own share that same personal position.
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They’re not running for the job of Prime minister though are they. Abbott is, Big difference.
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yeah, just current government labor ministers, I forgot that they have no say or influence and mean nought in this debate. I almost forgot that the faceless men are what matters in labor decision making.
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Labor is the current government. I momentarily forgot that being elected as a Labor MP means no longer being able to have a personal opinion on an issue. If the party says that something is so, then something is so. Always. Or risk expulsion from the party and disendorsement.
Fortunately, the Libs dol allow MPs to vote according to conscience 99% of the time.
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You obviously don’t live in qld, do you? One word on ‘towing the liberal line’: Newman.
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Too true Anon. It’s Newman’s way, or the highway. He’s proven that.
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Umm, you do remember Pauline Hansen don’t you Bradley? You are a Qlder after all. She got dis endorsed by the Libs just before election and won her seat anyway.
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Faybian, Pauline Hanson was still on the ballot as a Liberal at the election, so she appeared to have the party support.
She lost her seat as soon as she tried to get elected as an independent or under her own party.
It’s a quirk of our electoral system that there is a cut off prior to an election where the appearance of a ballot cant be changed.
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Oh don’t worry they do, as a nurse working in a large women’s hospital with lots female staff, I can tell you they see straight through the ALPs smoke and mirrors / he’s nothing but a misogynist routine. They are a dead set joke.
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Working as a nurse myself, we have to put up with the LNPs decisions. I don’t know anyone who likes them. Majority of the nurses I work with are left leaning.
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Fantastic article Julie! The shameless personal attacks by the ALP on Tony Abbot are disgraceful and, as you pointed out, have no merit whatsoever.
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Again with the EMILY’S List membership stuff. Are you seriously suggesting that Tanya Plibersek, who anyone who watches Q and A has seen wipe the floor with you numerous times, only got into parliament because of her membership of Emily’s List?
And I assume we can take it then that the Liberal/National Parties don’t have a rising star nurturing culture of their own either? I remember Amanda Vanstone on the Kitchen Cabinet episode with Christopher Pyne talking about how she pushed and campaigned for him. Basically he wouldn’t be there without her. How is that any different??
I’ve asked before for proof and not been given any about Emily’s List’s stance on abortion. Could you furnish us with that, Ms Bishop? Thanks.
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Emily’s LIst – of which Julia Gillard was instrumental in founding here in Australia – makes no secret of its strong pro-abortion on demand position. they were instrumental in pushing through the radical abortion on-demand law reforms in Victoria, which are considered amongst the most extreme in the world: abortion ‘on-demand’ until 24 weeks (6 months) and permissable up until birth with 2 medical practitioners permission. (and they ARE happening up until birth.)
Emily’s List defines the character of Labor women in today’s parliament. Abortion is one of their obsessions.
Here are some quotes from their website:
“Choice. We believe women must have control over their own bodies and choices in their lives.Reproductive Freedom empowers women and men to choose if, when and how to begin the important journey into parenthood, without fear of discrimination, coercion or violence.”
“The election of EMILY’s List MPs across Australia has also led progressive reforms for women including, Abortion law reform in ACT, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia”
Emily’s List is responsible for corralling Labor women into a few gender specific issues. Many women are concerned about the liberal approach Emily’s List takes to abortion on-demand. There seems to be little room for Labor party women who are not comfortable with an open slather approach to abortion.
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Where is the definitive proof that they champion late term abortion just because though. Not one person has been able to prove this. And I have been unable to find any reference at all to it.
I am familiar with their website, which makes no mention of any late term abortion stance. What is sinister about what you have copied from their site? This is why I ask for proof. Because it’s nowhere that I can find.
Just because late term abortions are happening doesn’t mean they’re just for shits and giggles. I’m sure anyone who has had one would be incredibly offended and hurt by the implication.
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Even as a pro choice person 24 weeks is obscene (of course assuming possible death of the mother, etc,medical conditions, etc arent involved). For gods sake babies can survive after birth at that age. If that’s what this Emilys list group believe then thats horrible and no one should be voting for those involved with them.
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But there is no proof that they do this – it’s unsupported allegations.
Honestly, when Emily’s List comes up, it gets mentioned like it’s some secret society that people lie about being members of. And the organisation and it’s members do nothing of the sort.
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Thanks Kris. It’s really interesting that Ms Bishop refers to Ms Plibersek’s need to “disclose” her membership of EMILY’s List, as if she’s trying to keep it a secret, and I’m glad you’ve pointed out that we are in no way a secret society or a cult – our members are upfront about their membership of our organisation. You can view our full list of current Members of Parliament, including Ms Plibersek, here: http://www.emilyslist.org.au/our-women/emilys-list-australia-current-members-of-parliament.
We ask all of our endorsed candidates to sign a pledge committing their support to our five key policy platforms: Equal Pay, Child Care, Equality, Diversity and, yes, Choice. We are proudly and avowedly a pro-choice organisation and our members have been responsible for championing a woman’s right to choose, including during the legislative changes in Victoria a few years back.
You can see the current state of abortion law in Australia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_Australia. As you can see, it’s only available on request in one State and one Territory. The restrictions placed on a woman’s right to choose in other States and Territories are concerning, and we still have a long way to go. As the recent case in Ireland showed, sometimes for some reason a woman does need to terminate later in her pregnancy – and when that choice isn’t available, it can have profound health consequences.
But aside from supporting a woman’s right to choose, we also do things like mentoring, training, fundraising for women candidates, and pushing the ALP to meet Affirmative Action targets, which have been so successful in increasing the representation of women in Australian parliaments – on one side of the chamber, at least.
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Dear Emily’s List writer, can you simply answer the question: Does Emily’s List support abortion on demand – up to 24 weeks? Was Emily’s List strongly involved in the campaign to liberalise Victorian abortion law reform? Do you believe that women should be entitled to abort a fetus up until birth if 2 practitioners agree to it? Are you aware that these very late term abortions have also included ‘psycho-social’ reasons such as job loss; relationship breakdown. (ie. NOT a fetal abnormality)
Your euphemism of ‘supporting a women’s right to choose’ hides what exactly you are supporting. Please be explicit about the ‘choices’ you think a woman is entitled to choose.
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For goodness sake just google Emilys list and it’s pretty easy to find what their stance is on abortion and while you are there google what a late term abortion involves. I am all for women having a choice and safe abortions but Emilys List advocating late term abortion and remember this includes right up until delivery sickens me. You would be hard pressed to find any obstetrician/gynae who would do that in Australia. Emilys List advocates forcing doctors to perform abortions regardless whether they would want to or not, of course this will never happen, but they still advocate this reform too.
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For goodness sake, kiks, I HAVE – and been all over their website and tried different combinations when googling.
Not one reference to it.
And yes, as you say, you would be hard pressed to find an obstetrician or gynaecologist who would be happy to OK a late term abortion unless it was desperate circumstances. So why the claims that they “ARE happening” seemingly willy nilly and frivolously?
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Yes, had to admit was nodding along thinking, yes, Julie, you’re so right, this is just bullshit politicisation of a non- issue to distract from complete non-performance from a drowning govt – till the mention of Emily’s list and late term abortions … And then the whole post from Julie is lost into a mudslinging mire of he said, she did etc etc and we all tune out that little bit more, think along party lines and maintain the status quo. What a bloody shame.
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When will Australian politics be about the people and what is best for this amazing Country, rather than these personal mud slinging matches between politicians? Enough already! How much time was wasted on both of these articles, that could have been going towards policies and making a real difference to this nation.
Oh and Julie, enough with taking Mr Abbott’s bullets (first the AWU scandal, and now this). The first comment was right, It’s his attitudes and beliefs that fuel this particular debate.
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Not that this is the most relevant comment here but can the Libs just hurry up and appoint Malcolm Turnbull as leader pleeeaasse? There are many of us out here just waiting for you guys to let him step up (climate change issues aside) so we can vote for you.
Abbott won’t win an election because even most of the die-hard Libs supporters (myself included) simply cannot vote for him but bring in Turnbull and we can FINALLY be free of the union supporting, business killing and uninspiring Labor party..
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Gosh, more attempts at political point-scoring.
I wonder why so many people (even some who claim to be pro-choice) always bring late-term abortion into the debate, when this represents a tiny fraction of all abortions, and in any event I doubt women who have late-term abortions, for whatever reason, make this decision lightly or carelessly. Perhaps because it is an emotive and easily exploited topic, Ms Bishop?
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It might be better to question why bring it to debate at all given that abortion has been available on demand for decades and is not even an issue anymore.
The dead issue is being exploited by Ms Plibersec, not Ms Bishop, all she has done is to respond to the attempt by Ms Plibersk to make a non issue into an issue.
If we want to look at damage to womans health, you should start researching on some of the recent poor policy from our incumbent government.
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Actually Nerryl, abortion hasn’t been available on demand for decades in Australia – it only came into legislation in Victoria very recently, and the only other State or Territory to allow abortion on demand currently is the ACT. If you take a look at the map of abortion law in Australia that is available here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_Australia, you will see that in every other State and Territory abortion is NOT available on demand, but rather is subject to various conditions that require a woman to demonstrate certain health conditions or even pass approval by a panel. There is a lot of misunderstanding around how far behind Australia is on this issue.
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Because late term abortions are abhorrent.
Fair enough that a zygote or 1st trimester feotus are aborted, but when the baby is viable the entire process is nothing short of murder and they shouldn’t be allowed.
So that gives women about 20 weeks to decide what they want to do. If it were up to me it would be 12 weeks.
But dissecting a baby that is viable outside the womb? That’s murder.
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How many late term abortions are just because the woman doesn’t want to do it though?
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I find your position extremely ignorant. Anatomy scans (at 20 weeks) frequently reveal severe abnormalities, not necessarily detectable at the 12 week scan. A friend recently had Trisomy 13 diagnosed at her 20 week scan – this is not compatible with life after delivery. Why should she have to wait another 20 weeks and deliver a full-term infant she knows is going to die a matter of hours after delivery? She had a termination at 21 weeks, after the chromosomal analysis confirmed the diagnosis.
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“Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Shadow Minister for Trade”
Speaking on an issue which is (a) not part of her portfolio; and (b) not an accusation made against her
because ….. ?
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Hey Lulu
Julie is currently Acting Leader of the Opposition because Tony Abbott is out of the country. She agreed to write a response to Minister Plibersek’s piece because Mr Abbott couldn’t while he was traveling.
Cheers,
Jamila
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Ah, I’d forgotten about that.
Although I suspect that she might have spoken on his behalf even if he wasn’t away.
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well, there is the fact that anytime he mentions anything gender related at all, he is automatically labelled sexist and misogynistic, before anyone even tries to understand the point he is making. There is that…
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What on earth does Tony Abbott do whilst on a 24hour flight – He certainly does not read or write….does he spend the whole time watching movies??
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yep, because the prime minister spends every flight writing to Mamamia doesn’t she.
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I don’t know if you’ve ever travelled for work but I have, a lot. It generally goes that whilst you are in your destination you spend a lot of time working and you use the travel time to catch up on some much needed sleep. He is also the opposition leader so I’m sure that also keeps him busy with other things whilst he is travelling……
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Hell no, writing to Mamamia must surely be his priority while travelling. Surely Julia spends most flights penning her thoughts for this fine blog. Doesnt she?
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She visits the MM office so often that they are considering giving her, her own desk ! So was reported here a few weeks back.
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I think she thinks she is helping him…..
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….and Tanya Plibersek is not helping Julia Gillard ?
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Deary me Julie
When will you stop defending your misogynistic bully boy of a boss? WE all know his views and beliefs when it comes to women……
The only “dishonest campaign” here comes from your side:
Your hysterical scaremongering about the implementation of the carbon tax – “Whole cities will be wiped out” – “a leg of lamb will cost $100″ – I would call that fairly dishonest
The Ashby Scandal – wasn’t that a grubby piece of work – all instigated by your colleagues – So dishonest, in fact, that the judge has literally left the door open for Slipper to sue Harmers for costs… ( I know that because I have read the judgement – Unlike Your boss Tony Abbott)
Your work being Tonys mouth piece on the AWU scandal trying as hard as you could to dig dirt – when there was none. You wasted 2 weeks of question time with that – I watched it every day and was disgusted with your attempts to make something out of nothing – That was all fairly dishonest of you too….
Glass houses Julie, glass houses…
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Exactly what I was wondering!
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Seriously!!! It really doesn’t matter what tony abbots personal beliefs are? Is he the boss errrrr no the removal of Kevin Rudd as priminster proves the term ” leader” means squat they can be replaced at a click of a finger. He represents a party and I highly doubt he will be able to push his own agenda.
I think it’s time people stop looking at the personal views of the person and look at the views of the party as a whole.
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Tony Abbott’s most trusted advisor is Cardinal George Pell.
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Most trusted. Come now, that is a ridiculous stretch of reality even for you Catherine.
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….says it all really…..
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please cease with your anti Catholic bigotry.
this whole debate about Abbott and abortion is so redundant. even if he wanted to ban it, which he doesn’t, he couldn’t. it is a state responsibility and the vast majority of
liberal mps are pro choice anyway.
i wish the government spent more time on things they can control like the budget than these silly little side shows.
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A conveniently overlooked point. No matter what abbots values are, he is only the leader of the party. He can’t make law on his own. I really can’t see any major party outlawing abortion. Hence his personal beliefs are moot. Do I think Julia Gillard will ban religion because she is an atheist?
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I wonder whose “most trusted advisor” Catherine Deveny is ?
Whoever that individual is, you can bet that they are not a particularly nice person.
We get it, Ms Deveny. You hate religion, and God, and this, and that, and…..
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To quote Mia, “Because he’s never addressed that on the record … it sort of lingered and festered like this bit of a suspicious issue among women.”
Mr Abbott, should you sincerely wish to clarify your position, you need to personally respond, in an open and honest manner. & in writing of course, so know if you really mean it
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As if Abbott is going to respond to the 85% of Labor readers who visit Mamamia. The fact that Julie has written a piece is admirable.
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If the Coalition wants Labor to “stop exploiting the abortion issue”, they should have maybe picked a different leader.
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Hear hear julie. The motives of the ALP in this regard are just so obvious, just like the misogyny strategy, and the misuse of tony’s faith as a whipping stick for decisions he makes is so unfair. It would never, ever be used against pariamentary members of other faiths.
For the record, I am not religous, but respect the rights of everyone in this regard. Faith and belief should never be used in this way.
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You are EXACTLY right WB – Faith and belief should *never* be used in this way…. to make medical decisions that I want to make for myself with my doctor.
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And B, as I was trying to point out yesterday, how do you explain other members from both parties that voted against it? Smacks of a convenient whipping stick, his religon, while conveniently ignorring others that felt similarly at the time. Why not roast Tony Burke at the same stake, call him a women hating religous dinosaur.
By all means argue the issue, but this is so obviously another strategic attack front from a desperate labor.
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Anonymous – as I posted but it seems that it was moderated out, I would LOVE if this was not a political issue for either side.
But unfortunately because people like me want other women to have access to RU486 and Tony Abbott was quite vocal about not allowing it, it is a political issue.
It is further made political by people like JB discussing late term abortion in response to an article about RU486 – late term abortion has nothing to do with RU486 at all.
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We have seen far too much of Mr Abbott to ever believe he will fight for womens issues.
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I suspect that it is Tony Abbott himself, his attitudes and beliefs that fuel this debate, not the Labour party. I am a woman, and a swinging voter. I will not be voting Liberal if Tony Abbott is the leader at the next election, purely because I see him as sexist, chauvinistic and a filthy liar.
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Ahhhhh ! Someone’s just ordered the latest edition of The Macquarie Dictionary !
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Bradley, sexism and misogyny is a real issue for women. Can you please not mock it EVERY time it comes up?? Maybe you want the world to be sexist, but women – incredibly – don’t, and it’s important that they continue to speak out against it. It’s men like you, who constantly mock and undermine, that make it even more of an issue. You are contributing to a culture of sexism. (Wait for it…I bet you come back trivilising and ridiculing the issue – you don’t seem to know how to address it any other way.)
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It is a very real issue agreed, but is also often used as a weapon. It is a very hard come back once a male has had the S or M word thrown at you, even if you are none of those things. Labor knows this and has used these terms as strategy rather than principle.
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When the sexism and misogyny that you refer to is 100%, absolutely genuine….you will hear me shouting against it from the rooftops.
Referring to Tony Abbott as a sexist and a misogynist is false. It is part of the Labor inspired gender war. It is “tail wagging the dog” material.
So, yes….when the terms are used falsely I’ll yell just as loud from the same rooftops.
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Actually many women, myself included, would prefer the word misogyny is correctly used- there are a great many women in theworld who experience real misogyny. They deserve or the word to remain potent, and not be watered own for the purposes of political gain.
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Thank you for your response, Alice! I wish I could like it a million times.
If, Bradley, as your name suggests, you are a male, you need to recognise that your experiences will be different to those of women. Sexism IS an issue. You saying it’s not doesn’t mean a thing. I haven’t had cancer, but I know it exists. Enough with the belittling of other people’s experiences.
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I won’t be voting for Julia Gillard and the Labor/Greens alliance because of their failed governance of this country. Perhaps it should be about more than personalities and gossip.
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Right on, Sister !
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