Not her body, not her choice |
A Bill ostensibly banning 'protest and harassment' outside abortion mills passed its first reading last night, 100 to 15. Why are we not surprised? Because at root (pun intended), it's about protecting men's 'rights' to sex without consequences. Will the women of New Zealand please wake up?
Left, Louisa Wall MP and right, the scene of the crime - not of murder but of 'harassment' |
"Kia ora Sandy
A bit rude to assume that Sandy speaks te reo, but hey, it reminds her that Wall's on the right side.
This is my members’ bill -Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion (Safe Areas) Amendment Bill:All New Zealanders deserve to have the right to access health services ...
But in honesty, Ms Wall, we're not talking about a 'health service', are we? Abortion is a death and sickness service.
... with their safety, privacy, and dignity protected. ...Protests ...
They're not 'protests', they're protectionist.
... at abortion clinics are common place in New Zealand. These protests amount to targeted harassment of those people who choose to access essential health services. ...
They're not 'essential', they're elective.
No other group is subjected to protest simply for going to their doctor, nor should these people be.
They're not going to 'their doctor', they're going to unknown professional killers.
This bill isn’t about abortion, the 52nd parliament voted on that. And this isn’t about freedom of expression - if you don’t believe in abortion you can still communicate this, just not within 150m of an abortion facility.
It's a public footpath. The public have a right to use it.
This is about -
The Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights (the Code) which establishes the rights of consumers, and the obligations and duties of providers to comply with the Code.For example -Right 1 - Right to be treated with respect
In my experience and to my knowledge, in New Zealand those keeping vigil in prayer outside abortion mills treat everyone with the utmost respect.
Right 2 - Right to freedom from discrimination, coercion, harassment, and exploitation
None of which in my experience and to my knowledge happens at prayer vigils or 'pro-life outreaches' as some prefer to call them.
Right 3 - Right to dignity and independence
People at prayer vigils are defending the right of the child to dignity and independence, as well as the mother's. There's no dignity in murder, no independence in coercion or keeping up with the Joneses.
The High Court in Victoria noted:
The High Court in Victoria has been proven corrupt, and what's more it's the High Court in Victoria not in New Zealand, thank God.
... to force a political message upon another person is inconsistent with the human dignity of that person. While there is an interest to be protected in fostering free expression and political comment by members of the community, the Court argued that this is not to be interpreted as putting an obligation on anyone else in the community to receive such messages. Moreover, the Court ruled, a safe zone does not unfairly and unequally put at a disadvantage the views of the anti-abortion movement. In terms of content, the Court pointed out, the safe zone is completely viewpoint neutral. No views about abortion (pro or con) can be expressed within them.
So the para above is all completely irrelevant.
And it is also about preventing Violence at Work.
Such as, for instance, the ultimate in Violence Anywhere which is murder. What about preventing hospital staff from Violence at Work? They wouldn't take that very kindly; they're paid handsomely to do Violence at Work.
Violence can take many forms – ranging from physical assault and verbal abuse to intimidation and low-level threatening behaviour. Violence or threats of violence are never acceptable.
That's pretty much exactly what the prayer vigil people are all about. Preventing violence.
Just as there is no obligation for Women and their families to receive anti-abortion messages when accessing abortion facility services, there is no obligation for staff of these abortion facilities to receive anti-abortion messages in any form either.
The prayer vigil people are not obliging anyone to receive anything. They're just offering.
Abortion is no longer a crime.
Oh yes it is, Ms Wall, in the eyes of God. As you will certainly find out, sooner or later. Better sooner, dear. And didn't you say this is not about abortion?
These abusive and traumatizing behaviors ...
Can you please itemize said 'abusive and traumatizing behaviours'?
... that interfere with the choices Women and their families and any pregnant person makes in accessing the health service of abortion is unacceptable and should no longer be tolerated.Finally, I agree with the Victorian Solicitor-General:
whose opinions are entirely irrelevant.
"It is unreasonable for anti-abortion groups to target women at the very time and place when they are seeking to access a health service, or to target health service staff. The impact of such actions on these women must be understood within the context of their personal circumstances. Many are already feeling distressed, anxious and fearful about an unplanned pregnancy, or a procedure that they are about to undergo. To be confronted by anti-abortion groups at this time is likely to exacerbate these feelings. It is intimidating and demeaning for women to have to run the gauntlet of anti-abortion groups outside health services."Louisa
Is the 'Worksafe' link not hideously ironic, in this context? How safe are the 'customer service areas' in abortion mills, where for every customer who is killed, another is maimed for life?
And poor Ms Wall never got around to addressing her correspondent Sandy's point - for which she thanks the redoubtable Ken Orr of Right to Life NZ - that the Law Commission in NEW ZEALAND - as opposed to Victoria, Australia, does not see any particular reason for safe zones to be instituted at this time.
Even Todd Muller voted for this bill. Ayes were 100 Noes were 15 Abstentions 2
ReplyDeleteAnon says:
ReplyDeleteWhat are you saying Julia? "Women have been perverted by years of male exploitation....Women have been victimised by men". Men have forced women into "swapping 'female' for 'feminist'".
I'm a male and proud to be one. Men and women are not perfect, but most of us do our best. With our children most of us are a vital part of the domestic church, a vital element of God's plan and our Catholic faith.
Most men I know are proud to have a family, to provide for it and see our wives and children well provided for. Most men I know despise a man who does not care for his family and is not faithful to his marriage vows. Its hard being a modern man (or woman) in a secular society that exalts self interest, fornication, pornography and just about every other evil.
We have been taught 'patriarchy' is foul, but I see the male role as God given and positive, I am proud to be part of the patriarchy.
Anon
PS I have X and Y chromosomes, that means I am a male. I am proud of my European culture. I don't claim being pale and male makes me perfect.
I say:
DeleteDear Anon, those remarks were made not about my readership but about the wider world which as McCluhan's 'global village' we all, happily or unhappily, must inhabit.
I was talking about the world of porn, of prostitution, of 'Planned Parenthood', abortion, sex slavery, 'gay pride', same-sex 'marriage' and adoption, and - descending the scale - the culture of contraception, 'breaking the glass ceiling', IVF, surrogacy and delivering very young children wholesale into the care of strangers - in short, the world which has forgotten God (Solzhenitsyn). Men have taken women for a ride, but women being women have now grabbed the wheel and are taking revenge.
You and most of the readers of this blog, I'd say, are very blessed. Your world is ruled by God our Father, and as fathers my readers would mostly, I believe, rule as patriarchs in their families as God has ordained - and their wives are probably proud to be matriarchs.
Thank God, and enjoy that world while you can. The raison d'etre of this blog is largely to warn that it may not last long.
Sarah Oconnor says:This will probably get me banned again...but have you noticed how the lgbt people are the loudest about abortion rights.
ReplyDeletePeople that can’t actually conceive children naturally, and have to go to ivf and surrogates, want STRAIGHT women who get pregnant to abort their children.
Why are they so loud on this issue that does not affect them. Why do they want straight women to kill their babies.
Myla Alexandra Mercado-Bides says:
Sarah Oconnor ikr!? They have the same master?
I say:
Myla, que?
Michael Hallager says:
Sarah, you appear to assume a lot about LGBTQ people. Considering 4% of the population or 1 in 25 is gay, I would think there is probably a lot bigger variety.
Sarah Oconnor says:
No, I don’t ‘assume’. It’s from endless experience. The loudest people demanding abortion everywhere I look, in media, off media, are lesbians like Louisa Wall. They are quite obsessed about something that simply doesn’t apply to their lives since given their relationships, they can’t physically get pregnant without intervention.
Sandra Sarafian says:good question, and why are women with children supporting abortion? If I were their child I would be very worried.
Delete· Reply · 4h
Philippa O'Neill
Sarah, totally agree. If we decided to abort babies due to the chance they would be born gay can you imagine the outcry? It would be abortion for all but those babies.
Anne Greef says:
ReplyDeleteShocking. This beautiful country was built on Christian principles. Evil is creeping in.....
Mark Gasparini says:
It has more than just creeped in, in Parliament and in much of NZ society it is running the show.
Bob Gill says:
To think that when I came to this country nearly 50 years ago I was telling family back in England that I had moved to Godzone. Can't say that anymore.
Michael Hallager says:
Some within the "pro life" camp have done themselves no favours by abusing people, pushing homophobic views and generally just trash talking. Basically burning off anyone who may agree with the "pro life" position but otherwise does not subscribe to their world view.
Monica Devine says:
Michael, you can’t control the behaviour of individuals. The vast majority of those who offer help are exemplary citizens.
Jeanette Hancock says:
Michael right you are, there are some anti-abortion folk who are nasty. Just as there are pro-abortion folk who are nasty.
Strangely, for all the claims of violent, hateful pro-lifers swarming women just innocently going about their aborty business in hospitals, there sure isn't any evidence. Especially odd when you consider that for at least 10 years, pretty much every cell phone has the ability to take photos and video. So surely, if this violence was so common, the internet would be infested with footage.
Interestingly, there's a lot of pro-aborties posting themselves harrassing peaceful sidewalk counsellors/protesters.
Monica Devine says:
Particularly disappointing was the speech from ex-convent girl then aborting midwife then labour MP quoting the bible to make her point that the vigilers can always pray in their rooms.
Dawn Bedingfield says:
ReplyDeleteThe accusations that are coming out of Louisa Wall's mouth are shocking. The bill of rights allows peaceful protest. If prolifers are throwing things and abusing women as Louisa states why have they not been arrested. Rather the police have stopped to assist us. Our stance in Hastings is to alert people that every child's life is precious as well as the Mum's and we offer them support to continue with their pregnancy rather than a hasty / coerced decision that often ends in disaster for the Mum as well. Many children have been saved from a disastrous decision because of the sacrifice of standing there week after week. Louisa Wall isn't satisfied with abortion to birth she is also trying to ensure that every woman is kept clear of anything that may change her mind.
Karen Raglan says:
ReplyDeleteOur pro-life shop here in Wanganui is about 50m from the FPA. We are blatantly pro-life, having a 24/7 TV display of a developing baby. If the FPA decides to do "medical abortions" in the future,(which is very likely), does that mean our shop has to close?
I say:
Or move? We hope and pray not, but God knows. Fiat voluntas tua.
Karen Raglan says:
We rent our shop on the main road from a Catholic for $500 a month! The shop next door, half the size, pays $350 a WEEK!
Karen Raglan adds:
Devil is having a field day!
Dawn Bedingfield says:
ReplyDeleteYeah we are meant to turn a blind eye towards Jacinda's atrocious bill. Since the passing of the abortion to birth bill I have learned of two women in NZ requesting an abortion at 6 months into their pregnancy, one for lack of accommodation which was subsequently found accommodation by a prolife group, the other young woman being coerced by a parent after only learning of the pregnancy at a late stage. Both babies at a survivable stage and able to feel pain at 26 weeks !!! This is the country we live in!
Anne Greeff says:
Dawn, was the second baby saved?
Dawn Bedingfield says:
ReplyDeleteI have been told she was refused by the doctor or persuaded not completely sure but at least she's supposed to be continuing.