Why the silence?

Why do you think that there is a deafening silence about abortion and it's negative health effects on women?

Could it be that abortion is the perfect 'poster child' for the materialistic and humanistic world view that we are masters of our own bodies, rather than stewards of them?

Could it have anything to do with the fact that abortion is a very profitable business?

Could it be because it is really difficult to admit that the tune you've been singing for the past 30 years - that it's safe and harmless - is in fact wrong?

Could it be that it's just too hard to fix the real reason women get abortions - the lack of support to continue the pregnancy?

And why, do we hear over and over again, that it's about choice? Because all the women I have spoken too who have had abortions have done so because their doctor has essentially said - you don't have a choice.

You're too young to have this baby. Adoption is too emotionally messy. You are all alone. Raising a child will be too difficult for you. You should really consider an abortion.

A doctor who spoke at the Pro-woman, Pro-life Forum last week was encouraged in her work by a 40 year old woman who said she had an abortion 23 years ago and there is not a day that goes by that she doesn't think about. She said when she really thinks about it, she drinks herself under the table.

Why do you think there is a deafening silence about abortion and it's negative health effects on women?

Thoughts on the current abortion debate

Listening to the claims and counter-claims over whether the RU-486 is safe and should be more widely available, I have many questions. My biggest question is about what we aren’t hearing. Where are all the other voices in the abortion debate?

We are used to two voices - ‘pro-choice’ and ‘pro-life’. In both camps we find the compassionate and the zealot. There are those who trade insults and those who argue with reason and logic. We argue as if this matter is solely about abortion. In reality though, abortion is simply an element of a much larger issue. By failing to recognise that, we have excluded many voices that need to be a part of this discussion.

Where, for instance, are the voices of the childless couples? I find it disconcerting that the only option our society is discussing - with regards to women with unwanted pregnancies - is abortion. In a nation where countless childless couples ache to hold a baby in their arms, there are less than 80 Australian children available for adoption in a year. There are also over 90,000 pregnancies ended each year.

Do we not find it a curious tragedy that in our nation women will weep with the grief of childlessness, whilst other women will grieve because they feel they have no choice but to abort? Why have we made it easier to end life rather than nurture life?

Adoption is now almost considered the unmentionable. A friend of mine who has been adopted however, expresses nothing but gratitude for both their biological mother who gave them life, and also for their adopted parents who have nurtured them.

Imagine if our community considered adoption as an alternative that we would support, both emotionally and economically? Imagine the dignity we would bestow upon women if we empowered them, in the midst of uncertainty, to be givers of life and joy to those couples whose are unable to conceive.

No-one is pretending, of course, that adoption doesn't carry an emotional burden. However, once an unplanned pregnancy occurs, there are no detached, easy options. We are simply naive if we think that abortion has no psychological or emotional side-effects.

In fact, where are the voices of post-abortive women who experience great grief and regret? Why are they not a part, and a vital part, of the policy decisions we make as a society? After all, they can tell us, more than most, what the costs of these procedures really are. They may be the voices who challenge us to come up with constructive solutions for women who face an uncertain future. I find it hard to believe that the most ‘compassionate’ option we can provide is to suggest women end their pregnancy.

Where are the voices of courageous women who give birth despite their child being diagnosed with chromosomal abnormalities such as Downs Syndrome? The immense pressure placed on women to abort children who are seen as ‘less than perfect’ not only fails to affirm the value of those in our society living with such conditions, but it also fails to give women true choice. We should celebrate the courage of women who defy society’s quest for perfection and choose to love extravagantly and unconditionally instead.

In all of this we would be wise to remember that abortion is big business, and that those who profit from it do so at the expense of women across our nation.

We must make a place for the many voices that are currently being silenced in this issue. At the very least, someone needs to speak for the women who are calling for a pro-woman approach in its fullest sense. To be truly pro-woman, life-affirming choices should be as passionately and creatively supported as any other.

If we really care about the rights of women in our nation, let’s listen carefully to all their voices - for in a multitude of counsellors, there is wisdom.

Apparently..

Apparently - so one headline proclaimed the other day - the abortion pill is just as safe as an abortion..

To which I would say - "so not very hey?"

Suspicions!

We have some suspicions that Melody may be pregnant (again). She is our dog for those of you who don't know this. Roland (our other dog) even went to stay with friends to prevent this but it seems they may not have been apart long enough?

This may explain her rather unusual behaviour lately. She has taken to crawling under the couches in the living room and just lying there by herself and whining. Maybe it's Doggy morning sickness? Or hormone misery? Do dogs have hormones? I don't know....

We were already going to the vet Saturday so that may shed some more light on things!

Nuclear attack in terror plot - Top stories - Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au

Nuclear attack in terror plot - Top stories - Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au: "THE order from radical Islamic cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika was to inflict 'maximum damage' as the Sydney terror cell planned a violent jihad in Australia.
The Melbourne preacher met members of his alleged Sydney bomb-making cell in February and then again in July to offer guidance on how to wage a holy war, court documents say."

And he's still in the country why?

Bomb threat halts transport - Top stories - Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au

Bomb threat halts transport - Top stories - Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au: "An anonymously phoned in bomb threat will stop all bus and train services in Brisbane for the second time today."

I don't mean to sound flippant, but for this to be a real tragedy, our public transport system in Brisbane would have to be efficient and useful. hm....

Exams done!

.. Semester 3 underway!

Disabled seek damages for 'wrongful life'

There is something profoundly wrong with this!
And begs the question how a 4 year old can sue a doctor....?


Disabled seek damages for 'wrongful life': "Disabled seek damages for 'wrongful life'


By Fergus Shiel

Two young disabled Australians will today make a final attempt in the High Court to be the first to prove 'wrongful life' in Australian law.

Lawyers for Alexia Harriton, 24, who is deaf, blind and physically and mentally disabled, allege her family doctor negligently failed to diagnose rubella infection early in her mother's pregnancy.

They claim Dr Paul Stephens also wrongly reassured Ms Harriton's mother, Olga, that her unborn child would not be affected.

The case will try to prove the concept of 'wrongful life' — that given correct medical advice, their parents would have opted to terminate. Lawyer Kathryn Booth, of Maurice Blackburn Cashman, said: 'It involves complex legal and ethical issues about the right of a disabled child to claim following negligent advice by a doctor.'

Wrongful life cases have succeeded in the United States, France and Holland, but in Britain legislation has been introduced to prevent them.

The full bench of the High Court will simultaneously hear the case of Keeden Waller, a four-year-old from Nowra in NSW, who was born profoundly disabled.

If successful, the cases would set a precedent for children with severe disabilities wanting to sue doctors for failing to provide information that would"

Very good food for thought

Neglecting Prayer

In one area of Africa where Christianity began to spread, converts were zealous about daily devotions. They would find their own spot within the wild thickets and pour their hearts out to God. After some time the spots became well-worn, and paths were created. Soon, one's prayer life was made public. If someone began to neglect his or her devotional life, it would soon be noticed by others. Believers would then gently and lovingly remind those in neglect, "The grass grows on your path."

Citation: Submitted by David DeWitt; source: Today in the Word (June 1992)

Evolution in the bible, says Vatican - The Other Side - Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au

Things that make you go hmmmm

Evolution in the bible, says Vatican - The Other Side - Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au: "THE Vatican has issued a stout defence of Charles Darwin, voicing strong criticism of Christian fundamentalists who reject his theory of evolution and interpret the biblical account of creation literally.
Cardinal Paul Poupard, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said the Genesis description of how God created the universe and Darwin's theory of evolution were 'perfectly compatible' if the Bible were read correctly.

His statement was a clear attack on creationist campaigners in the US, who see evolution and the Genesis account as mutually exclusive.

'The fundamentalists want to give a scientific meaning to words that had no scientific aim,' he said at a Vatican press conference. He said the real message in Genesis was that 'the universe didn't make itself and had a creator'."

I guess you have to laugh

We have been having some unusual car battery problems. It was quite happy to start if it had been sitting for a good twenty minutes but was a bit tempermental if you had only turned the car off for 5 minutes. Gentle coaxing always talked it into starting though.

However, it has now finally given way and Stephen now finds himself in the carpark at Dominoes, with a dead car battery.

Thank goodness he's got a pizza to munch on!

From yours truly...

Here is an article of mine printed in today's Courier Mail.

Enjoy!

BBC NEWS | Americas | Texas preacher killed by baptism

This is a sad story

BBC NEWS | Americas | Texas preacher killed by baptism: "Texas preacher killed by baptism
A pastor was electrocuted during a baptism in Waco, Texas, after grabbing a microphone while partially submerged."

Think I'll be a little more careful at baptisms in future!