From your post, Maracas, one would have to assume that only men oppose abortion; that only men would seek to have adoption be the normalised course of action over abortion. Of course, such an idea is preposterous. In any case, men have an equal right to a say on issues of the common good as women.

Also, from your post, one would have to assume that only people who have had no experience with the process of aborting or experience with women seeking terminations could oppose abortion. This too is a falsehood.

In fact, my experiences with others' abortions and with contact to the system which delivers them only increases my opposition to it.

Practical solutions are demanded to this problem. Hiding behind the "private between woman and her doctor" mantra hinders any societal solution to this issue of the common good. Feminists have gone up in arms every times anything has been proposed... cooling-off periods, collecting of data on abortion, baby bonus payments during pregnancy, to take examples in the last six months... and it is precisely because of their absolute faith in private, abortion on demand that they are doing all Australians, men and women, the disservice of perpetuating an unacceptable status quo.

Pro-life groups and individuals, like the Health minister, have offered to lay down arms over the question of morality and propose some practical solutions. The knee-jerk reactions of pro-abortion groups is the only barricade between some real scrutiny and support for Australian women and families.

If we could stop 10,000's of abortions by introducing proper Child Endowment payments up to the age of 16 for parents, and through reforming the tax system, surely then it is necessarily the concern of government!

DFXK,

Well written and intelligent post.Thank you.

Friedrich.

DF, the abortion rate might be unacceptable to you, the anti abortion lobby and certain politicians, that does not make it so.

The days of religious tyranny are ending. Worldwide the general trend is to accept unquestiongly a woman's right to an abortion in
the first trimester. Its her body, her right, its neither the business of the state, the common good, the godsquad, her husband or anyone else who wants to interfere in her affairs.

Its high time that that kind of right is enshrined in legislation
in Australia, in every state. I don't blame womens groups for fighting for that right, for it seems that they are under constant attack from people with a religious agenda, who would like to enforce their values on them, through legislation which suits the
religious dogma.

We want freedom of religion, but we also want freedom from religion.

DFXK
Your Religious blinkers preclude you from ever understanding the simple fact that for women, not having access to abortion as her right is not an option.
I will not be lectured on morality by religious fundamentalists whose high priests violate children.
I have never said adoption was not an option. I have agreed it is heroic,I have witnessed that never ending pain experienced by the woman who gave her child up for adoption and the exquisite joy of parent & child reunion 26 years later.
Your religious right are desperate to shore up the so called infallibility of the pope against the overwhelming challenge by people of peace, justice, truth and reason who support such ideas as Liberation Theology. Humanity will better survive without the impediment of Sectarianism

maracas,

Your post is ordinary without focus. In other words it's a maracas special.

Friedrich

Maracas, there are arguments against abortion which are not based in the religious idea that every fetus is ensouled. I fear that your paranoia of the influence of religion in our society leads to your stubborness to agree to any pragmatic efforts to alleviate our current situation, a situation which encourages a cycle of creating and destroying life on demand, rather that creating life at a time when it would not be destroyed. Many people who are not religious do not agree with abortion on demand, or abortion at all, and it is because we currently lack humility towards life that they do so. You don't need to believe unborn children are ensouled to wish to reduce abortion rates, wish to avoid abortion on demand, or wish to provide proper support to women, even at the cost of violating a non-existant right to do whatever one wishes to one's body and the things contained within it.

Though religious, and a conservative, I am not a member of the religious right. My tradition has nothing to do with their ways, mine is a Tory tradition of many hundreds of years more history and philosophy.

On an aside... how on earth can you mention Liberation Theology and peace in the same sentence, when it encourages war and unjust reaction?