Not enough women to do the Housework?
With thanks to Senator Andrew Bartlett, news of the gender divide on the vote regarding RU486 in the Senate was very telling.
The Australian House of Representatives has 150 MP’s.
37 are Female
112 are Male
Whilst there are more men than women and it has been shown that they are more likely to vote against keeping the current RU486 situation, these men are attached to women.
They are our lovers, partners, brothers, fathers and grandfathers. We are their lovers, partners, sisters, mothers and grandmothers.
They will remember us before they remember jesus.
In NY State, in 1970, Democratic Assemblyman George Michaels cast the deciding vote allowing for NY abortion law to cover women coming from interstate. When asked what swayed his deciding vote Michaels said –
"My children said yes, my local party said no, I voted yes."
I am confident the vote will go in favour of the TGA – in favour of choice.
UPDATE: Victoria is likely to vote in favour of the TGA.
12 Feb 06 UPDATE: Enough of the 150 MP’s are likely to vote in favour of the TGA to create a change to the current law regarding approval of RU486.
Image from here
February 11th, 2006 at 8:27 pm
Quoth Suki: They will remember us before they remember jesus.
Who do you think you are, John Lennon? 😀
February 11th, 2006 at 10:27 pm
Watch out for that lightning…
I’m a Christian, and I believe that women definitely should have the right to choose what happens in their own lives and in their own bodies.
Anti-abortionists make out it is a flippant choice by pro-choicers, but to tell a woman that she must have a child when she doesn’t want to, amounts to giving her a life sentence.
How can anyone weigh up anyone else’s considerations in that circumstance anyway ‘judge not…’
In Christian doctrine God gives all free will, and that free will includes choices patriarchal fundamental Christians would call ‘sins and mistakes’
Regardless of the ethics of abortion, this bill is about doctors and patients having a choice – abortion isn’t up for debate.
Too many Christian churches teach that the one true God is a God of fear & retribution, but it’s just a means of mind control because otherwise their patriarchal twaddle can’t bring in the moolah for their next beamer.
February 11th, 2006 at 10:49 pm
If there’s 150 feds, of which 37 are women and 112 men…is there an mp of indeterminate sex. If so, is it Tony Abbot?
February 11th, 2006 at 11:21 pm
Downer?!
February 12th, 2006 at 2:34 am
Was there ever a more appropriate name?
I’ve checked with my local member and he’s voting for the bill. His reply said that RU486 is also a useful cancer treatment. Another reason it’s availability shouldn’t be dependent on the whim of one person.
February 12th, 2006 at 9:09 am
That’s great zoot, but why isn’t it enough that it offers a widening of choice for women who find themselves facing unwanted pregnancies?
I’ll take his vote any way I can get it, but I’m hoping for the reproductive rights of women to emerge as the biggest reason.
February 13th, 2006 at 1:33 am
I suspect he was trying to offend as few people as possible. He’s a nice guy, but not one of the stellar performers in Canberra.
Caught the end of Compass tonight and it reinforced my position (as a bloke, it’s none of my business).
February 13th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
having emailed all members of the house of reps the response has been interesting:
5 auto out of office replys
1 Definite no (Trish Draper)
2 Definite Yes’s (Kim Wilkie, Julia Irwin)
1 Definite Maybe (Tony Windsor)
1 request for more personal information
Leaving 140 no responses….. Oh well I only sent it last night
February 13th, 2006 at 1:50 pm
Did anyone watch Compass on the ABC last night? Stories of a time before contraception and legal abortion. I thought it was such a moving, and timely, reminder of the conseqences of removing women’s reproductive choices or as one woman on the show put it ‘treating women like breeding cows.’
June 15th, 2010 at 5:34 am
im a iranian girl
i want autonomy, emancipation, freedom, independence
please help iranian girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!