60% of women oppose abortion pill: Quantum survey : Melbourne Indymedia

Abortion for too long has been defended on ideological grounds and pro abortionists have ignored science. It is time to enter the modern world and defend life. Abortion has no place in a just society.

"A national survey of GPs conducted last year by Quantum Market Research for Australia’s leading reproductive health-care organisation, Marie Stopes International, found that 84% of GPs believe all women should have access to pregnancy termination services."

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Religious right pushes abortion debate

Lara Pullin

Women’s access to abortion is back on the political agenda as the religious right attempts to whip up controversy. But the anti-abortion forces may have misjudged the amount of support that a woman’s right to choose has throughout the population.

Though they have a few high-ranking MPs on side, even within the federal parliament this is not a debate they are likely to win, with Prime Minister John Howard unhappy that the matter has been raised at all.

Howard knows that any move by the federal government to restrict Medicare funding for abortions would not only be highly unpopular with women voters, but would sharply divide the Liberal parliamentary caucus, with most women Liberal MPs expressing support for the status quo on the issue.

The new push by the anti-abortion lobby followed a meeting of religious leaders and federal MPs — from the Coalition and Labor parties, as well as Victorian Senator-elect Steve Fielding from the Family First party — on the evening of January 31 at Sydney's Salvation Army headquarters.

Attending the meeting were representatives of Sydney's Great Synagogue, the Hindu Council of Australia, the Buddhist Council of NSW, Sikh Kirtan Prachar Mission of Australia as well as ministers from Anglican, Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Seventh Day Adventist and Mormon churches, the Salvation Army and the Wesley Central Mission.

Federal health minister Tony Abbott sent a message of support to the meeting.

The February 2 Melbourne Age reported that the organisers of the meeting were two Sydney businessmen — Linton Tinkler and Ron Boys. It reported that they had “produced the booklet Abortion and Religion in Australia, a collection of statements on abortion solicited from the churches last year.

“The publication, recently sent to federal and state politicians, was sponsored by the Foundation for Human Development, the education and counselling arm of the NSW Right to Life Association.”

After the meeting, the religious leaders issued a statement opposing late-term abortions and calling for mandatory counselling for women seeking to terminate a pregnancy. The next day, National Party Senator Ron Boswell called for an inquiry into the number and type of abortions being carried out in Australia.

Abbott has made it clear that if anti-abortion federal MPs can’t ban abortion outright, they will attempt to remove Medicare funding for late-term abortions. Since very few late-term abortions are even performed, and those that are carried out are undertaken for compelling social and or medical reasons, the religious right is simply using the issue as an ideological stalking horse to end Medicare funding for all abortions.

The big problem for the religious right is that its views on abortion are only supported by a small minority of the population. The Australian Survey of Social Attitudes 2003, conducted by the Centre for Social Research at the Australian National University, found that over 80% of Australians believe it is a woman’s right to choose an abortion.

A national survey of GPs conducted last year by Quantum Market Research for Australia’s leading reproductive health-care organisation, Marie Stopes International, found that 84% of GPs believe all women should have access to pregnancy termination services.

Announcing the findings of the survey on November 5 last year, Suzanne Dvorak, Marie Stopes International’s Australian managing director, said that it was alarming that politicians were seeking to restrict women’s reproductive rights.

“Political parties”, Dvorak said, “should support the rights of women to determine their own reproductive lives — regardless of the personal beliefs of individual parliamentary members. Specific religious doctrine concerning abortion should also not dictate government policy concerning access to abortion services for women facing an unplanned pregnancy. Women must be able to make their own decision about whether to have a termination — and politicians should assist this process by ensuring that they are provided with access to un-biased information, support and the highest medical care.”

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SO the male medical establishment has decided in its infinite (or should that be ‘infantile’?) wisdom that women should not put off having children until they are older. Oh, pur-lease!!! Obviously useless men don’t want women to have careers because then we won’t have time to look after them as they sit around all day watching Extreme Pro-Celebrity Sudoku with Natasha Kaplinsky and A.A. Gill. So what could be better in the great male conspiracy against us working women than to have “wifey” (or “partnery”!) having her sprogs young and staying at home rather than establishing herself as, say, a top columnist and best-selling author of Easy Mummy! – Further Collected Dispatches From The Front Line Of Modern Motherhood (Johnson and Pearson, $24.99).

WELL, let me ask this simple question on behalf of so-called having-it-all mums everywhere: If women are obliged to have children in their early Twenties then who on earth are we going to get to be our nannies?

It’s hard enough to get decent girls as it is – we’ve just said goodbye to Chi Po from China who seemed to think that $3.50 a week wasn’t enough to supplement her board and keep, even when she put Simon’s underpants in the DVD player rather than the washing machine! Honestly! What do they teach these girls in rural villages nowadays?

But imagine if Chi Po and all her ilk were having children instead of looking after ours very badly. Where would we be then?

You see... men, they never think things through!!

I would have to agree that "Australians Against RU-486" aren't in anyway experts in conducting an opinion poll that is even close to resembling a bi-partisan sample.

So heres some mass media for you to chew on:

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<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200601/s1553623.htm
">ABC news.

Last Update: Tuesday, January 24, 2006. 6:50am (AEDT)
Critics have dismissed an RU-486 survey. (File photo)

Critics have dismissed an RU-486 survey. (File photo) (AFP)

Abortion pill poll result 'absolute nonsense'

The Democrats and some doctors have criticised a poll that claims 60 per cent of women are against the abortion drug RU-486.

Democrats leader senator Lyn Allison says the survey by "Australians Against RU-486" is misleading because women were told fictitious details about high death rates among women using the drug.

Dr David Grundmann, who owns abortion clinics in Queensland and New South Wales, says he also thinks the poll is invalid.

"If they're talking about women in Australia I find that hard to believe because no one in Australia has been exposed to RU-486, so I think that's absolute nonsense," he said.

"Most of the women that I've spoken to have all said they'd like the option of trying it.

"Now they may not use it, but that's certainly no reason for not allowing it to be available."

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Most back abortion pill as doctor option
Selina Mitchell
January 19, 2006

MOST Australians believe that a controversial abortion pill should be available to doctors if a woman is seeking a termination.

Doctors, "pro-choice" and "pro-life" groups are intensifying their lobbying efforts in the lead-up to a federal vote on the availability of the drug, also known as mifepristone.

A private member's bill will be introduced into parliament seeking to overturn a law that allows the health minister to decide whether the drug is available, rather than the usual risk assessment from the government's Therapeutic Goods Administration. The conscience vote could take place as early as nextmonth.

The Newspoll survey was commissioned by the Australian Reproductive Health Alliance, a non-government organisation focused on the health and human rights of women.

The phone poll, conducted last weekend, asked respondents, in the specific context of abortion, whether they would "personally be in favour of or against RU486 being made available in Australia for use by qualified medical practitioners".

Men (at 66 per cent support) are only just behind women (70per cent).

Support was highest among those in the 35-49 age group (71per cent), and those with a university degree or diploma (76per cent).

Alliance chief executive Christina Richards said the survey represented the "true pulse" of the electorate.

The findings come after a Senate inquiry into the drug was inundated with anti-abortion form letters and pro-life material.

The committee is investigating who should approve or reject RU486 - the TGA, which controls all other drugs available in Australia, or Health Minister Tony Abbott, as is the case at present.

The committee received about 4000 items, with 1500 so far deemed to fall outside the scope of the inquiry.

Australians Against RU486, a new coalition of anti-abortion groups, individuals and churches, says its national polling shows that two-thirds of Australian women oppose the introduction of RU486.

Details of the poll will be released next week.

article from The Australian

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RU486 abortion pill : Where do you stand?

Ban should stay - 12%
Release it now - 70%
Release it with more rural supervision - 15%
Undecided - 3%
Total Votes: 3503 Poll date: 16/11/05

poll in Sydney Morning Herald

This poll is just laughable, even compared to other laughable polls
The anti-abortion lobby seem to be determined to demonstrate that they're collectively not very bright...

A lot of the usual ideologues n the left are missing the point. Abortion is a human rights abuse. It kills babies. Late term abortions deliver then kill a child. Other abortions poison a baby in the womb. Abortion, war, torture, capital punishment and other violence are all obstacles to justice. The left has sold out human rights.

Like all right wingers the poster above is a filthy liar.
A foetus is not a baby. End of story.

The above comment about the poster being right wing is typical. Sections of the left are in denial. They don't like the fact that science is undermining their views and some on the left are speaking out. Opposing abortion is not right wing. How many Liberals voted to support RU 486. Many.

little creatures
by pro-abortion meritocrat Thursday February 09, 2006 at 09:19 PM

But we all look the same.

Why are human larva so special and precious, "lefty"?

It is not for me about whether any of you are right or wrong. I think its possible that you all could be.

For me personally, this decision to allow women to have a non surgical option is about choice. This is becuase at the time its about that person - the "me" in the picture. Her famly. Her child. Her body. Her faith and her choice.

Foetus or child? Rightist or Leftist? Right or wrong? These seem to me to be all pointless and divisionist symptoms of emotions surrounding the debate. Shall we choose to get distracted by the symptoms and not the cause of the friction. On a good day with a nice cuppa in hand we might be friends? And like friends discuss with respect differring views.

It seems to me that the heart of this decision for all of us is not whether it will be yes or no for the women involved but do we think its right that she is able to choose? Does it matter if she wishes the same choices early or late in her journey? But about the choice - nothing more. If I have a wish it is that the debate continue to 'rage' - but over the true issue not the distractions.

I respect your right to not believe that any termination is okay. Whether late or early seems not really to matter in the scheme of someone really deciding that for them this is not the way the planet should be.

I respect your right to say that you can seperate it emotionally because it doesn't feel to you to be a child. Even when you are with child, doctors and family around many women only start saying and talking about your little one as if it were a living child after the umpteenth week after all.

I respect the intensity in everyone that will and has arisen over this challenge of decision we face together.

I only ask that we try not to resort to clouding the issue of choice with 'bad guys' and 'good guys' talk for that truely is the violence within all of us. I think we all deserve the choice to hear all our thoughts without this getting in the way.

Here's to a cuppa shared some day and the wisdom to know the true question and the courage to stand by it when we make it together :)

I'm sorry, but I have no respect for people who can't tell the difference between a person and a foetus and want to ban abortion in order to force white women to out-breed Muslims.

I have no respect for people who want the right to interfere through laws or moral pressure in MY personal decisions about MY body.

I have no respect for people who try to subvert democracy by faking opinion polls.

These people do not deserve MY respect.

Use your brain
by Your right as an idiot? Wednesday February 22, 2006 at 12:44 AM

But the hairy loser who impregnated you was a hero?

Use your brain gals and stop thinking through your nether areas.

Then the new pill won't be necessary except for rape victims instead of desperate losers.

If you'd gotten laid more than 0 times in your life you might know that mistakes happen and condoms break.

Infact there is NO form of birth-controll that is 100% effective. Obviously you missed that sex-ed class and can't read labels.

I bet your only experience with condoms is to save having to clean your inflatable doll.

What possible connection between pregnancy and being a "desperate loser" is there? Stop projecting your own inadequacy onto women and MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS troll.

Settle that hysteria fool.

Condoms rarely fail unless you are a great believer in the pope.

Get the guy to put one on and it's unlikely you will get preggers.

Otherwise there is a new pill called the contraceptive.

Stupidity is nothing to be proud of even if you call yourself a socialist.

"Get the guy to put one on and it's unlikely you will get preggers."

Yeah, famous last words there. But what can you expect from an Artificial Stupidity Bot?

I find it's far better never to let the man touch the condom and don't let his hands anywhere near it after it's on.

Being stalked by the uploaded ghost of J Edgar Hoover!

Has it really come to this?

"I find it's far better never to let the man touch the condom and don't let his hands anywhere near it after it's on."

Well if you sleep with idiots you may need to.

Two solutions:

1) Sleep with decent people.

2) Use the pill.

And stop trying to blame everyone else.

Do you call everyone who tells you the truth a troll btw?

Being given sex-advice by the uploaded ghost of J Edgar Hoover!

[shudder]

Has it really come to this?

quote:
---------------
1) Sleep with decent people.
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You mean fuck decent people, don't you?

Some people say it's bad form, but I call it "multi-tasking"...

My opinion on abortion is that it can be right and wrong, right because the baby can be seriously born handicapped and what would be worse watching your child living a life with no freedom and control over their mental and physical behaviour on the other hand abortion is wrong if you have not planned for a child and you get pregnant and you decide to have a termination, that in my opinion is soo wrong because what was the childs fault that you got pregnant why take the life of an innocent child who hasn't even seen the world.