about that number '100,000' - it may be accurate to claim that number of Medicare Procedure No '?' is being funded annually, BUT that procedure is also required for good health after a spontaneous miscarriage, and that same procedure is also very usual for women experiencing menopausal difficulty. So, not so many of the 100,000 would have been live births.

If The Tony Abbott insists on his number, then his government would have needed 500,000 extra school places for 5 years olds at the start of this year. He needs to plan now for 2010 primary school growth, because if his present campaign succeeds, the frequency of termination may reduce, but the number of conceptions will probably not.

A very reasoned approach. It might be worth the while of the editors to rebadge and re-date this article given the latest kerfuffle about this issue brought about by a few leading Liberals.