Seeker,
Yes, abortion is one of the most commonly carried out surgical procedures in Australia, and one would think it would be highly necessary for health practitioners to be keeping adequate records on abortion, as a part of maintaining public health.

However that doesn’t seem to be the case. Nor can it be determined how much money is actually being spent on abortion, or what is the cost of abortion to the country.

Some research does show that women often grieve for the lost child after an abortion, and the father does too; particularly if he hasn’t been told about it, or if he has had little say in the decision for the abortion to occur. However fathers are not often thought greatly relevant, as can be seen with so many articles in the media, that do not mention fathers when it comes to parenting.

But if the figures on abortion, IVF and adoption are compared over a number of years, then it appears that the rate of abortion has remained static, the rate of IVF has increased (although there is now a shortage of sperm and egg donors), and the rate of adoption has significantly decreased.

Abortion, IVF and contraception are subsidised by the taxpayer, and so would adoption to some extent. But so far as value for money goes, I would think that there should be more money going towards contraception and adoption, and much less money being spent on abortion and IVF.

However I’m only a mere male taxpayer type person so my opinion probably doesn’t count for much, even though I must have paid out a very large amount of tax by now. However it appears that in the minds of some, I would still have to undergo a sex change before I could be considered relevant.

Timkins,
you make me laugh! Walk into a doctors office and in 15 minutes get an implant that leaves you baby free for 5 years? Tried it, have you?
Found that it works? I'm sure you know all about it, or else you can quote me some 'reliable' website that can!

I'm a woman, I have used contraception in the past, otherwise I would have more than the four children I have given birth to.

Depo provera- injection guaranteed to stop pregnancy inmost cases, I think it was 96% effective, similar to condoms, but with the rather annoying side-effect for a great number of women such as myself: constant bleeding for 3 months. Try that for yourself, Timmy, and see how enjoyable that would be. Most men I've known when speaking about the topic of menstruation, sympathise for the 7 days of a usual cycle. Imagine 90! And then it has the effect of sterilising a woman's body, sometimes for life. Plenty of anecdotal evidence, go look it up. And try not to use pharmaceutical=sponsored sites, hey? Or right-wing, fundamental christian organized material, either. Might broaden your horizons.

Mirena: implanted contraception, effects can be no bleeding for months on end (and that's advertised as a good thing) or you may have the usual weight-gain, headaches, nausea or bleeding, again more than usual.

Oral pill: nausea very similar to morning sickness except that it doesn't usually abate. increase in bloating and weight-gain, that cannot be regulated by exercise and very 'unfeminine' by todays standards.

Tired of this yet? It's a little of what women deal with when deciding and experimenting on what works best for them.

You know how men could control contraception? By using your political men's right's groups, and instead of taking it out on individual womenlike myself, lobby and protest for men's oral contraceptives, or men's injections or whatever else it is that is required to stop sperm production.

Thus solving unwanted pregnancies for men, lack of control in deciding whether to have a child or not, and the gross lack of control which you guys suffer.

Oh, when I say 'men' and 'you guys', I am solely referring to men like you, Timkins, Seeker, Boaz, etc. who are now reactionaries in a world more accepting of women's viewpoints than ever.

Not what I call decent men. And I'm sure you don't think I'm a 'decent woman'. (i shudder to think what that would mean to be one!)

Oceangrrl,
If you wish to make comments regards myself then you can be specific. If you want to make generalized comments then don’t bother.

Making highly generalized maligning comments about males is one of the most common characteristics of feminism, and not showing any real ability to solve problems is another (without calling on more government spending leading to a “Dependancy Diva" type syndrome)

Anything I have said of feminists I have provided examples of, and I have often referenced it to many other articles that you can easily find on the web. Most of these other articles are written by well qualified women, who now can see right through the brainwashing feminist propaganda.

Again “Because you have just made so many unfounded, un-referenced, generalised and maligning remarks about men, I’ll now ask you:-- why such a high rate of abortion (ie nearly 20% of pregnancies) when there is so much contraception available for women (eg http://www.betterhealthchannel.com.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Contraception_choices_explained?open) “

I have asked questions of a number of other supporters of feminism on this forum on a number of issues, and to date I have not received one answer. “Nothing” except more generalised maligning remarks about myself and about men. Typical?

Timkins,
I endeavoured to furnish you with an understanding of the complexities of contraception. Every contraceptive for women, other than condoms and that could be argued as being a contraceptive for men, has side-effects. None of them are 100% efficient. Quite a lot are linked with cancer and heart problems and other associated risks.
Please see your doctor and ask her/him for a disclosure statement from within a box of contraceptives, and see for yourself.

And then ask yourself if this would be medication you would enjoy popping for thirty years of your life.

Why don't you answer my suggestion that men agitate for pharmaceutical contraceptives that they can take orally or by injection?

After all, and this is not a generalisation Timkins, but a biological fact that doesn't need verification, men continue to produce viable sperm AND THEREFORE THE MEANS FOR CONCEPTION long after women stop being able to conceive.

Oceangrrl,

“but a biological fact that doesn't need verification, men continue to produce viable sperm AND THEREFORE THE MEANS FOR CONCEPTION long after women stop being able to conceive.”

I get an inkling that you are attempting to “point the finger” at men. But this is just a commonly used feminist technique (No 8) that was mentioned way back at
http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=2940#883

“8. Blame males for as many problems as possible, as this transfers responsibility for those problems onto males, and hides the fact that females may be partly or fully responsible for those problems occurring. Transferring responsibility also relieves females from having to find workable solutions to those problems.”

I would have thought that the use of those techniques would be below you, as you seem to be a person who wants to help heal the major divisions that have now developed between the genders.

If there were negative side-affects from female contraception, and if these side affects outweighed the positive side-affects, then this could be brought up during an inquiry into abortion.

But therein is the dilemma. It definitely appears that the pro-choice groups want no inquiry, and no investigation, and no further research into abortion. They definitely appear to want the system to remain exactly as it is "forever". So if there are problems with female contraception, they will remain as they are "forever" also.

So far as male contraception goes, research has been underway for many years, but the results to date are inconclusive as to whether or not hormonal type contraception can ever work to stop sperm production. Maybe an inquiry could help in this area also, but of course we can’t have an inquiry.

Problem that.