1. The prohibitive cost of accessing an abortion at doctor’s surgery and long waiting lists for clinics who perform the procedure, are forcing women to have ‘at home’ abortions. There are new reports today that Australian women are apparently buying the RU486 drug online and taking it alone in their own homes.
2. Australia’s most decorated living soldier, Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith has announced that he’s quitting the army. Roberts-Smith, who was the recipient of the Victoria Cross in 2011, says he wants to pursue a career in business.
3. There’s a scandal over horse meat sold as beef in Europe. It’s been reported that pre-packaged products in Sweden, Britain and France have been pulled from shelves after it emerged that some companies were using horse meat as a substitute for beef in dishes like lasagna.
4. A father in the US offered his daughter $200 to quit Facebook for six months – and she agreed. “She wants to earn money and also finds Facebook a distraction and a waste of time sometimes,” he father told a newspaper. She’ll be paid $50 in April and $150 in June.
5. In an interview with News Limited over the weekend, Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop said she didn’t believe women could “have it all”. The 56-year-old, who has a partner but no children said: “I’m in the Anne-Marie Slaughter school – women can’t have it all… They can have plenty of choices, but at the end of the day, they choose something which means they can’t have something else.”
6. A new law in which people could be charged with killing or hurting unborn babies will be considered in NSW parliament. The law’s being named Zoe’s Law in honour after the child of Brodie Donegan was stillborn after her mum was injured in a car accident at eight months pregnant. Because of the current laws, the driver was not charged with Zoe’s manslaughter.
7. French police are investigating several rape allegations in Marseille, however they’ve hit an extremely unusual and difficult to navigate DNA hiccup. They’ve traced the DNA evidence to twin brothers but now have no way of knowing which was responsible for the sexual violence.
8. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has revealed that he lodged a freedom of information request into his own communications with the Federal police over the swearing-filled video that was leaked last year. An unusual development indeed…
Top Comments
It surprises me that so many comments here are in favour of Julie Bishops opinion. I'm not sure if she was talking about choosing a career over having children but I'll give my view on that. I think I do have it all. I have three children and an amazing, successful career. Whilst having children, I have accomplished so much, including returning to university, enjoying my children's special moments such as their first words, steps, school days. I have attended international meetings with the likes of Hilary Clinton and Cherie Blair. My children have been cared for by me, or by grandparents or by childcare. Currently, my husband has the wonderful opportunity of taking leave to be their primary carer (and he is far more senior than me in his own career) as I have taken my career overseas to give my family a few years of new cultural experiences. I feel like I have it all and I have accomplished this with a supportive family and importantly, a supportive employer. Over the past ten years, I have worked part-time, full-time and taken plenty of maternity leave. When my child has a school concert, I've attended. I've spent an hour reading to kindergarten kids on a weekly basis because my employer allowed me to make up those hours later. If Julie Bishop really wants to support Australian women, she should be promoting flexible work hours. If your employer had faith in your ability, there should be opportunity for flexibility. Julie Bishop's own choices in life should not be reflective of the wonderful things that other Australian women can achieve. The Liberal Party would be better to promote policies that can help us achieve "having it all" rather than policies that put us into little boxes of "house wife" OR "successful career but barren". My life has not been easy and I've certainly worked very hard, but I most definitely think that my three beautiful, happy children, amazing career and modest home is having it all. (I also think Mia Freedman is a good example of having it all and is why I follow this site.)
I am 38 and thought along the same lines....until my husband & I found ourselves pregnant two years ago.The worst decision I have ever had to make. Don't assume that it only happens because people are carelessness...