AN ANSWER OF SORTS

I finally received a letter from Senator Fielding, thanking me for my letter, (not emails) and for taking the time to write and share my views. No answer to the questions I’ve been asking for six months or perhaps he just doesn’t do emails. He also sent his very glossy newsletter which I suppose our taxes are paying for.

From this newsletter I quote…..
“Spending half my time in Canberra – and most of that in Parliament House – makes it hard to keep track of real life and the issue concerning real people”. The back page of the newsletter is all about helping pregnant women.
His proposals are:

l. Women considering abortions should have independent counselling from a GP before making their decisions.

2. As part of the counselling, women should receive details of agencies that offer practical support – such as financial assistance, legal advice and parenting classes – to those who wish to continue with their pregnancy.

3. The Federal Government should fund this independent counselling by GPs by allowing women to recover the cost from a new Medicare item.

He says that research shows that at least 64 percent of Australians think that the abortion rate is too high and 87 percent believe it should be reduced.
But people did not want restricted access to abortion.
He believes as a society we have an obligation to support women faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to have an abortion.

His proposals look good but they’re meant for women who would go through with pregnancy if they had support. GPs who push this counselling are most likely going to be pro-life (anti-abortion – tell the truth) and if counselling by Agencies involves putting pressure on young girls to have their babies for adoption then I find that more evil than termination.
Given the state of medicare finances at the moment, he’s got no chance of the Federal government funding this suggestion.

At no time does he address the Medical benefits gap that penalises Rainbow families. He makes no mention of women who want to get pregnant by accessing IVF or ART.
He doesn’t make any suggestions about a decent sex education program for our schools to cut the pregnancy rate for teens. He’d never consider the installation of condom vending machines at High Schools which would not only cut the pregnancy rate but STIs as well.
He’s not concerned about cutting the rate of abortions by reducing the rate of pregnancy.

We all know Family First opposes abortion and so does Senator Fielding and now this man is sitting on a Senate committee to decide about Mifepristone. I don’t believe this man can be objective about this which he sees as an abortion issue and not about whether the TGA should decide on releasing the drug or the Health Minister having the final say.

Barnaby Joyce has already said that he’s worried that women walking around today could be dead if Mifepristone is released without more consideration.
These men are suffering from PMS - patronising mouth syndrome.

If they’re both so concerned about life, why aren’t they shouting from the Senate floor about the babies’ lives that war is taking.

If they asked for letters and petitions banning war, would all those pro-lifers who sent form letters to this inquiry, send any?

I might have more respect if they did but they can’t or won’t see past their own narrow minded agenda of denying women the decision of what to do with their own bodies.