Tornado Alley (PROG)

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Abortion politics not restricted to Texas .. Aussi view

By Jonathan Bradley in Sydney, Australia
26 June 2013


[hidden: Wendy Davis filibustering an abortion bill in Texas]

Earlier this month, Australian prime minister Julia Gillard caused a stir when she said the election of opposition leader Tony Abbott could result in "an Australia where abortion again becomes the political plaything of men who think they know better." Jacqueline Maley .. http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/abortion-debate-the-blast-from-the-past-no-one-wants-20130614-2o96y.html 's response was typical:

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Of all possible '90s throwbacks — high-waisted jeans, scrunchies, the music of Mariah Carey — a renewed debate about abortion law has to be the least welcome. Isn't this something we settled more than a decade ago?
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As Anne Summers .. http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/its-gillards-right-to-fight-back-20130614-2o96z.html .. wrote, criticism of Gillard wasn't restricted to the right:

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Yet she has been roundly attacked for doing so, and not by the usual misogynist mainstream media crowd. Before they could even get their gleeful paws on the story and trumpet, yet again, how foolish and misguided the PM was to re-engage the "gender wars", they were — astonishingly — knocked out of the ring by the dismissive comments of several feminists.

Gillard's speech was "a rather desperate attempt to exploit the gender tensions that exist in our society," proclaimed academic Eva Cox. She described it as "rather limp, probably professionally devised".

Destroy the Joint bandwaggoneer Jane Caro weighed in, attacking Gillard for raising the issue of abortion: "Strategically, this is not something that should be shouted loudly from the rooftops and certainly not by our first female PM," she wrote in Fairfax Media on Wednesday. Then there was the "Sorry Julia. But women aren't buying your gender wars" headline on the usually Gillard-friendly mamamia website.
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Peter Hartcher .. http://www.smh.com.au/comment/divided-demoralised-done-20130614-2o9kz.html .. provides the background:

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But the attempt to exploit abortion took Gillard into a league of political desperation unseen since McMahon. Much of the media reporting this week has described it as an abortion "debate".

But there is no real debate. Neither main party has any intention of changing the status quo. It is a settled matter. It was settled 40 years ago. It was settled in favour of legalised abortion. It is merely posturing and innuendo by Gillard in an attempt to create a fear campaign.

[...]

Abortion became legally available not because of a parliamentary act but because of a 1972 decision of Justice Levine in the NSW Supreme Court in the case of Regina versus Wald. The argument in the political arena was irrelevant to the law.
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Australia's opinion on abortion politics is that they're a problem we don't have. We cringe at the United States' public tussles between pro-choicers and pro-lifers. Many of us feel relieved that abortion isn't under constant threat from conservative demagogues. The unfortunate thing is, however, our understanding is entirely backwards. For the most part, abortion rights are protected more strongly in the US than in Australia. The refusal of Australians to make abortion a political issue, as Prime Minister Gillard did, has resulted in laws that are far more restrictive and tenuous than those of even the most conservative American states.

Take Texas, for instance. Today has seen a great deal of attention directed at the legislature of the Lone Star State, where Wendy Davis, a Democratic senator, has mounted a 13 hour–long filibuster .. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57590966/texas-senator-wendy-davis-filibusters-against-abortion-bill/ .. to prevent the state senate from taking up a bill that would greatly restrict access to abortion for women in the state:

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Wearing pink tennis shoes to prepare for nearly 13 consecutive hours of standing, a Democratic Texas state senator on Tuesday began a one-woman filibuster to block a GOP-led effort that would impose stringent new abortion restrictions across the nation's second-most populous state.

Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth began the filibuster at 11:18 a.m. CDT Tuesday. To derail a vote in the GOP-dominated Senate, she must keep speaking on the bill until midnight — the deadline for the end of the 30-day special session.

Before Davis began speaking, her chair was removed. CBSDFW.com reports that Davis must speak continuously — and stay on topic — the entire time. She is not allowed to lean against something for support. And she will not be able to stop or take a break, not even for meals or the restroom, during the entire 13-hour ordeal.
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Thank god, Australians have been thinking, while we tweet encouraging remarks using the #standwithwendy hashtag, that this is not part of our politics. Thank god Australian women do not have such a tenuous hold on their rights. Only, what would the bill .. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/us/politics/senate-democrats-in-texas-try-blocking-abortion-bill-with-filibuster.html .. Senator Davis is filibustering do?

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The bill would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, require abortion clinics to meet the same standards that hospital-style surgical centers do, and mandate that a doctor who performs abortions have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.

Supporters of the bill, including the governor and other top Republicans, said the measures would protect women’s health and hold clinics to safety standards, but women’s rights advocates said the legislation amounted to an unconstitutional, politically motivated attempt to shut legal abortion clinics. The bill’s opponents said it would most likely cause all but 5 of the 42 abortion clinics in the state to close, because the renovations and equipment upgrades necessary to meet surgical-center standards would be too costly.
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Now compare this to abortion law .. http://www.childrenbychoice.org.au/info-a-resources/facts-and-figures/australian-abortion-law-and-practice .. in an Australian state like Western Australia:

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Legal up to 20 weeks, some restrictions particularly for under 16s. Very restricted after 20 weeks.

[...]

After 20 weeks of pregnancy, two medical practitioners from a panel of six appointed by the Minister have to agree that the mother or unborn baby has a severe medical condition. These abortions can only be performed at a facility approved by the Minister.
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Or South Australia and Tasmania:

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Legal if two doctors agree that a woman’s physical and/or mental health endangered by pregnancy, or for serious foetal abnormality. Referral for counselling compulsory in Tasmania. Unlawful abortion a crime. *NB An abortion law reform bill has been passed by the Tasmanian lower house in April 2013, and is awaiting debate by the state's upper house. If passed it decriminalise abortion on request to 16 weeks gestation, and after that point if two doctors approve.
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The Texas law would still be as liberal as those of some Australian states!

Which doesn't mean it's a good law. Nor does it mean it's a constitutional one. In the US, unlike Australia, women have a constitutional right to privacy; the Supreme Court has ruled that a state must allow abortions until the point of foetal viability. Under current precedent, the proposed Texas law would violate the US Constitution.

Australians — or, at least, those who care about women's rights — should look at the battles of the US and see a country willing to protect its citizens' freedoms, not a citizenry fighting over issues we are too mature to make the stuff of politics.

UPDATE:

There is nonetheless one area in which Australia betters the US where abortion rights are concerned: public funding. Stephanie Peatling explains .. http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/think-abortion-is-a-state-matter-well-think-again-20130613-2o5q6.html :

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But the area where the Commonwealth plays a huge role in relation to abortion is Medicare funding.

The Commonwealth could decide to no longer provide public funds for pregnancy terminations. It could reduce the level of funding or change the circumstances under which women receive rebates.

Like any other health service cost is a factor for people when deciding whether or not to go ahead with a procedure.
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The US doesn't have a system of universal health care like Australia. But it does provide some government support of health care, for instance, with Medicaid and now the Affordable Care Act. But a 1976 law known as the Hyde Amendment bars federal funds from being used to pay for abortions except in the case of rape or incest. Australia is clearly far more progressive than the US in this regard.

http://ussc.edu.au/blogs/Abortion-politics-not-restricted-to-Texas

=====

Abortion Issues
Cover - Abortion Issues

Abortion Issues
Volume 312
Editor: Justin Healey
Print book ISBN: 978 1 921507 23 6
Year: 2010
Print book: $20.95

In Australia 1 in every 4 pregnancies is terminated, with 80,000 women undergoing abortion every year. International research shows that women will still seek abortion, even if it is illegal, and a number of surveys reveal a majority of Australians support the idea of safe and legal abortions. Abortion laws are different in each Australian state and territory, yet some of the legislation is vague and open to interpretation. This book explores the topic in two chapters: Abortion Options; and The Abortion Law Debate. What can be done to avoid unplanned pregnancy in the first place; if a woman finds herself in this situation, what are the options? Should Australia’s abortion laws be standardised? What are the pro-choice and pro-life arguments in relation to decriminalisation, availability of non-surgical abortion (RU486), late-term abortion, birth defects, the health of the expectant mother, the status of the fetus, and conscientious objections of health practitioners? Whose rights should prevail in this ethically complex debate?

Chapter 1: Abortion Options
Chapter 2: The Abortion Law Debate

Glossary; Fast Facts; Web Links; Index

Fast facts:
* It is estimated that there are almost 200,000 unplanned pregnancies in Australia every year. Unplanned pregnancies occur for a wide variety of individual, social and political reasons.
* An estimated 23% of all known pregnancies in Australia are terminated. This makes abortion one of the most common surgical procedures in the country, with around 80,000 women undergoing abortion every year.
* Comparatively speaking, Australia’s abortion rate is reasonably low by international standards. For instance, the United States of America has a 30% abortion rate, while countries such as the former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria have recorded abortion rates of over 50%.
* Abortion laws are different in each Australian state and territory. Research has shown that the majority of Australians support the idea of safe and legal abortion. Yet some of the legislation remains vague and open to interpretation.
* Around one in three Australian women will undergo an abortion.
* The typical profile of a woman seeking abortion includes: aged in her 20s; single; childless; well-educated; and employed.
* Studies show that between half and two thirds of all women presenting for abortion were using contraception at the time.
* An increasing number of older women are having abortions, and most are working mothers who choose to focus on their career, current children and financial stability than have another baby.
* Increases in global contraceptive use have contributed to a decrease in the number of unintended pregnancies and, in turn, a decline in the number of abortions, which fell from an estimated 45.5 million procedures in 1995 to 41.6 million in 2003.
* Unsafe abortion causes an estimated 70,000 deaths each year worldwide, and an additional five million women are treated annually for complications resulting from unsafe abortion. Approximately three million women who experience serious complications from unsafe procedures go untreated.
* Most abortions occur in developing countries – 35 million annually, compared with seven million in developed countries – a disparity that largely reflects the relative population distribution.
* Worldwide, 48% of all induced abortions are unsafe. However, in developed regions, nearly all abortions (92%) are safe, whereas in developing countries, more than half (55%) are unsafe.
* Of the estimated 208 million pregnancies that occurred worldwide in 2008, 33 million (16%) resulted in unintended births and 41 million ended in induced abortions. (20%).
* Public support for access to abortion in Australia has steadily increased in the past twenty years. The series of polls conducted by the Australian Election Study showed 38% of respondents in 1987 believed ‘women should be able to obtain an abortion readily, when they want one.’ In less than ten years support for “abortion on demand” had increased to 53% and by 2004 support had risen to 54.2%. Conversely, the percentage of respondents fundamentally opposed to abortion dropped from 6% to 4% in the same period.

http://spinneypress.com.au/books/abortion-issues/

The Maddow video was great .. all those little maps excellento e.g. Virgina clinics
now 20 closing to 4 .. one thing i'll add to the above .. on a quick glance at this one ..

Fact sheet: Australian abortion law and practice
http://www.childrenbychoice.org.au/info-a-resources/facts-and-figures/australian-abortion-law-and-practice

it looks that Australian states have more abortion clinics available than some now, e.g. N Dakota going to none, in America .. then again, your states are much smaller than ours, so conceivably i guess there could be an area the same size as N Dakota in Queensland that had no abortion clinics .. no, haven't checked any 'sizes' .. just a maybe afterthought ..