Great article Warwick. And look at the comments... nobody can actually criticise 'what' you actually say, they criticise how and why.

You write well-researched truth, well. I wasn't aware of some of the research showing how much girls who miss out on their natural fathers suffer and are sexualised by the hormonal effects of not having their natural fathers in their childhoods...

If you google "University of Arizona, ellis, premature puberty" you can download more studies that show that girls who grow up without their natural fathers (and ESPECIALLY those who live with another man who is NOT their natural father) suffer from premature puberty (18 months early, often during primary school age 12 - imagine primary school girls getting pregnant!) and are 5-8 time more likely to become mothers as teenagers (After controlling for race and socio-economic status

Always a pleasure to read the total anti-feminine sentiments spitefully spewing forth from the pen of this author.

I have read the Women's Weekly article about Saint Abbott and his holy views. I was annoyed to say the least.

I don't really have a problem suggesting that young girls should wait as long as possible before attempting their first sexual experience.
It certainly doesn't have to wait for marriage though. That is asking them to go back to the dark ages indeed.
However, I would also expect this advice to be given to young men too.

Again, like many Catholic men, Tony Abbott has one standard for women, and another for men. Didn't he have a pregnancy scare with a former girlfriend? I assume he wasn't married to her?

What a hypocritical man he is.
God help us all if his political career goes any further.

Runner,

"cheap nasty sex, bitterness, divorce, suicide and many other nasty things" Have always existed, even and particularly in societies ruled by nominally "moral" theocracies.

Maybe disproportionate punishment meted out by hypocritical judges is the reason for abortion in times of yore. Maybe suicide was and is considered better than facing a bigoted bible-bashing father, maybe divorce really would be better than living with you.

The means of avoiding pregnancy are simply that, means, and all religions and athiests are able to adopt such means without recourse to your particular johnny-come-lately version of religion.

Obviously you, runner, wouldn't bother to not kill or steal if it wasn't in your bible. Some of us are just made of better stuff to begin with.

Rusty

How our society has fallen.

Fatherhood is most definitely under attack when feminists would have us believe that a father not only has no right, but should be vilified for expressing his love and protective concern for the sexual choices of his daughters. If a mother made the same comments, this wouldn't have been an issue. Nothing more needs to be said to expose the chauvinism and hypocrisy of those who would attack a loving and caring parent for being protective of his children.

Indeed, they take great pleasure in attempting to level the same attack on Warwick Marsh, for daring to defend Tony Abbott's right as a parent to hold such an opinion. His article, exposes the truth about the importance of having biological fathers actively involved in the raising of children and the negative consequences on children by their absence. The point being made is that children, including daughters, achieve much better outcomes in life by having fathers such as Tony Abbott holding such opinions and expressing them in the best interests of their children.

Sadly, we now live in a society where such parenting is vilified. Fathers are no longer the irreplaceable foundations of our families, who provide and protect, but optional extras, whose welcome runs out as soon as they dare to hold an opinion contrary to the latest ill-conceived feminist insight.

Sadly though, there will be those who will hold fast to these ill-conceived insights. The traditional protectors of our children will be further ostracised and vilified, and as we descend further into a "Lord of the Flies" type society of narcissism and self-indulgence, ultimately it will be our children who will suffer the most.

How our society has fallen.

I don't believe that fatherhood in general has been vilified by anyone, least of all, mothers. Fatherhood after a breakdown in marital or defacto relationships has been dealt some blows though.

Gone are the days when women and children were considered to be the 'possessions' of their menfolk. Women can now provide for and protect their children with or without men.

This does not mean that men are not necessary or wanted by most women. They should now be considered equal partners in all aspects of caring for their children and spouses.

When marriages or defacto relationships break down, and there are children involved, the needs of the children must come before the 'rights' of the parents.

It is bad enough that the children must endure a breakdown in their parents relationships, but to also be wrenched from place to place just to suit the needs of their parents is a tragedy.

The latest new data from the nation's family courts, as reported by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (in todays newspapers) suggests the 'shared parental responsibility' in child custody cases has caused more problems than ever for children of broken relationships.

Some parents have taken this 2006 change in law too literally and have demanded 50/50 custody of the children, no matter how the children felt, or what was best for the children.

Many warring parents forget about the needs of their children in their mad rush to demand their 'rights' as a parent. How sad for the children.

I agree with BBoy. I would like to think that a boy's virginity is as valued as a girl's. I would like to think that all people have more 'gifts' to take into a relationship with a loved one than sexual innocence (or inexperience, depending on one's personal morals and perspective) - like a good heart; personality; mind; generous spirit and any number of other personal attributes.

Interesting how an issue that echos centuries of valuing women for the condition of their hymen has somehow been co-opted into a portrayal of fathers/men as victims. "Men aren't allowed anymore to tell girls what they're worth! Wahhhhhh sob!" pffft.