State Government
COURAGEOUS: MP’s career on the line as Labor’s Left faction subverts conscience vote with abortion decree
Labor’s Socialist Left faction in Victoria has issued a directive to all of its state members of Parliament that they must vote in favour of the bill decriminalising abortion regardless of their personal views.
Their move is seen by ALP insiders as a repudiation of the government’s approach that the bill be decided as a “conscience vote”.
A FACTION DIVIDED
Any member of the Socialist Left faction voting against the bill would face “almost certain expulsion from the faction with a resulting loss of preselection,” a faction insider told VEXNEWS.
State MP for Albert Park Martin Foley is one of a few members of the Socialist Left faction believed to be concerned about the proposed law. Foley is considered something of a maverick within the Left, close with federal Ministers Lindsay Tanner and Alan Griffin who are regarded with suspicion by many of the Kim Carr aligned Left union bosses as being “free market conservatives.” Ironically the Industry Minister Kim Carr is being criticised by rent-seekers within the manufacturing sector for failing to stop tariff cuts.
FOLEY SILENT ON ABORTION
A Herald Sun list of MP’s views on the abortion bill listed Foley’s views as “Unknown”.
This was considered by the feminist tendency within the Socialist Left faction as a “red rag to a bull” according to one of its operatives. This feminist tendency’s titular head is former Victorian Premier Joan Kirner and it comprises a range of former Kirner government ministers, female MPs and figures from the Emily’s List organisation.
Socialist Left secretary Andrew Giles, an adviser to Minister Gavin Jennings, is believed to have held discussions with Foley encouraging him to see that it “might be best for everyone” if he supports the bill regardless of his conscience.
An MP outside the Socialist Left group told VEXNEWS that “this is an ugly intrusion by a part of Labor’s machine into a bill clearly designated by all parties in the Parliament as legislation that would be decided by the individual consciences of its members. It’s wrong the SL faction has to meddle in everything. They are still fighting the nasty old sectarian fights of the fifties, that’s why they hate the SDA (the Shop Assistants Union who are aligned to the Labor’s Right) so much.”
VOTE FOR ABORTION OR VOTE YOURSELF OUT OF A JOB
Giles is believed to have warned Foley of the “career limiting” consequences for him if the bill goes down because of his vote.
Press reports have indicated the bill might struggle to pass, although VEXNEWS understands from caucus informants that it’s very likely to comfortably get through both houses.
This is despite concerns that the new law might encourage claims of the $5000 baby bonus from the Commonwealth to be paid to women who have late-term abortions under Victorian law.
News Limited reported the National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists chairman Andrew Pesce as saying there was no legal difference between stillbirths and abortions after 20 weeks.
The proposal, introduced by the government’s Womens Affairs Minister Maxine Morand, will fully decriminalise abortion in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy and permit abortions after that with the approval of two doctors if they believe it is medically appropriate.
Ironically, the bill is criticised by some feminists for being more restrictive than the current case law which leaves the decision in the hands of one doctor acting on the instructions of their patient.
Discussion
12 comments for “COURAGEOUS: MP’s career on the line as Labor’s Left faction subverts conscience vote with abortion decree”
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Even The Age was honest enough to say that most ppl are comfortable. with the abortion laws as they are. This law just pleases Comrade Feminazis.
The push from some politicians and church leaders to curb abortions has received a setback, with polling showing that 56 per cent of Australians believe the present laws are “about right”…
In an AgePoll taken at the weekend, 16 per cent thought abortion should be more accessible while 17 per cent believed it should be less accessible.
65% of Australians are pro-choice though.
Whether or not having an abortion is morally correct is not the issue here. While a majority of the studies which have been performed about the dangers which are associated with abortions are often scrutinised and debated, there are a variety of different known factors which you might experience after having an abortion. Each of these factors may be negative to your health, so it is important to take one into consideration before you decide to go through with an abortion.
One of the most common affects of an abortion is inflammation of the cervix. Although this may sound like a very harmless, insignificant side effect, the truth is that it is not. In fact, the results of this side effect tend to be very severe. One of the things that it can lead to is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, which can eventually permanently damage your pelvis. It can also lead to Cervical Cancer later on in life.
Infertility is another very common affect of having an abortion. In fact, abortions can be held as an accountable problem for at least thirty percent of women who are experiencing problems with infertility. Another thing that having an abortion may cause is complications during a later pregnancy. Some of the things that you may be faced with if you should decide to get pregnant after an abortion include premature births, an increased chance of having a miscarriage, low infant birth weights, and even infant death.
Because I value all life and think that the man and woman that created that foetus have the right to determine their own destiny. For all those Christians out there who oppose abortion, fine, oppose it for yourselves. But God gave me free will and it is ridiculous for the government and the courts to try to take away that free will.
Abortion is murder. Child killing.
Child killing can only happen after there is child birth, dufus.
I’m sure Martin would be the first to call himself a feminist at times of preselection. What a total fraud.
@ “abortion is a legitimate choice that men should stop intruding on ”
Child killing can only happen after there is child birth:
Is that the law you are arguing there or are you disputing established science and self evident truth? What happens at birth: a child is born!!!!So the child must preexist the birth process. By arguing the primacy of “the law” against morality and established scientific truths you not only go into the realm of intellectual dishonesty but you also declare and accept that the most glaring examples of extreme, inhumane behaviour by all the tyrants in history as moral and good because they acted according to law. Who is the doofus now!!
By the way your title also indicates that you believe only criminals should be judges, and only animals should become vets.
HA, HA, my friend a registered nurse tells me if a baby is unexpectedly born a few weeks prem it will B given th best, most expensive care 2 keep it alive, on the other hand if parents dont want th kid a few weeks B4 projected birth, down the sluice it goes..
[...] “COURAGEOUS: MP’s career on the line as Labor’s Left faction subverts conscience vote with abortion decree [...]
To those who support abortion on the basis of a woman’s right to choose and to those who believe child killing can only happen AFTER birth…..
What do you make of the UN Charter on the Rights of the Child which says - and I quote -
Whereas the child, by reason of its physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth.”
In what ways will the decrimanilisation of abortion in Victoria provide proctection as is DEMANDED by this UN Decalaration - and yes we are a signatory to this document.
The Rights of the Child - the forgotten element in the current debate about a woman’s “right to choose”
I think the word courageous is wrongly applied in these circumstances.And I understand his problem,of non acceptance of abortion law reform.I know years ago standing in a park were pro and anti-abortionists with Police standing around in case,and I felt both cases were somehow right morally,and difficult as humans ,as humans confronted by serious problems.A test,however,of Christian morality,in particular,remains the very sad outcome from the Iraqi war,and once one gets off the beaten track of mainstream media,many new unfortunate details abide waiting to shock and traumatise,by their very numbers of injuries and deformity in babies with loving mothers not wanting to disregard the life of their babies as they are.Every time I read this stuff and look at some of the photos,I simply cannot handle it very well really.And even if they,the babies as adults get to reproduce,normalcy maybe at least five generations into the future.I am not proud of what has happened to the Iraqi, I am not proud of us,that is Australians ever being there.I am not proud,our greatest ally and friend,sometime in a undisclosed future will be waiting to help us.I am not proud of American bases on Australian soil.And,I am certainly not proud of people like Rupert Murdoch,who angered so many proud Americans in his statement of how long that war would last and the advantages flowing from it.Yet,we have our Christian moralising P.M. siding and being friendly with this American.Did he ever care about abortions ?!Some go on about moral relativism,and I am displaying that.But,a right to choose to have an abortion,is also a right to be completely honest,and may well and truly be so,which many people insist is some sort of lie.If women in Australia want abortions,they are not neglecting any sense of outrage about the process,they may in some cases even accept the anti-abortionists sense about it being a life in beginnings.But humanity isn’t plagued by acceptance of truth or some other function of thinking that requires priorities,and in our society they remain that of individuals.Biology of humans are not owned by religion,and suffer the problems of the State and its people.There is a dual plague ,an emotional plague amongst some Americans generally,a disrespect of mothers like the Iraqi women,and a disrespect for those who cannot accept the Christian position fully.It has been wonderfully,transfered to Australia.Where is the courage in claiming the expectant mother who wants an abortion is a fraudulent and criminal thing!? Only as a not very clever exercise in Not minding your own Business,which is hard enough anyway,for those who think some opinion should be more important than others.The history of the Catholic Church before the Renaissance,and friendly to Hitler,means a denial of its subjects.And the rest of Christendom has been living on the borrowed failures of that Church.