Smoking Harms Unborn Babies... Really?

Was surprised to see this smoking warning from the Australian Govt. on a pack of cigarettes. The warning reads,

"Smoking during pregnancy reduces the flow of blood in the placenta and limits the oxygen and nutrients that reach the growing baby. This increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, complications during birth or the baby having a smaller brain and body."

But who cares? The Aussie Govt. sure as heck doesn't. Look at Victoria where they've removed the right of doctors to be able to choose to have nothing to do with abortions for conscience' sake, and have decriminalised abortion up to birth. Or Queensland where in 2007 alone, 19 babies over 20wks survived an abortion attempt but were left to die, refused life-saving help.

Hypocrites.

Blossom

I'm in Sydney, Aussie for two nights for the Liberty & Society Conference. Sitting in the departure lounge at Christchurch airport I pulled out the iBook G4 (thanks Lyd!) and pulled a scrap of paper out of my wallet. During the fairly stolid Local Govt. lecture that morning I had started writing a poem. Hammered it in and kept working on it. Finished it off on the train (they're double-deckers here in Sydney!) to St. Leonards which is in North Sydney. Caught a glimpse of the Opera House too, hope to get a better look at Sydney Saturday or Sunday. Anyway, here's the poem - admittedly pretty sentimental but it was just as spontaneous!

Blossom

half-past midnight; it's dark out here,
blossom petals floating through the air -
defy gravity, time and space;
the warm breeze blowing against your face

dewy grass, my jandals slippery,
holding hands, we walk very quickly.
stars come out in a cloudy sky,
the moon is shining for you and I

forever young I want to be,
walking forever; just you and me.
we need no sleep, we'll talk all night,
thinking out loud til' the sun is bright

we speak of doubt; uncertainty,
and if what's happening is meant to be
we can talk our problems away -
and everything's gonna be ok.

you've got to go, i understand,
things never happen the way we'd planned
lifting my head I see again,
blossom petals floating down like rain

Australian Abortion Mills Born Alive Horror

Is there no justice in the World? the state of Queensland in Australia has approximately the same population as New Zealand. In 2007 alone, 19 babies are on record as being born alive as the result of botched abortions: and left to die, wrapped in cloth on the cold hard steel bench in the abortion mill.

It defies imagination and boundaries of cruelty - I can make no further comment, but below are excerpts from the article.

A growing number of induced babies are born alive following failed late-term abortions.

New Queensland Health figures show 19 babies were aborted at 20 weeks or more in 2007, but rather than dying at birth as intended, the newborns were able to breathe unaided.

The babies, some as advanced as 26 weeks, were aborted using drugs to induce labour. Once born, no medical help was offered and they died soon afterwards.

"If babies are born alive after this they are likely to die within a few minutes, although it can take up to half an hour," she said. "We can only keep them wrapped up warm. It is up to the parents whether they want to see the child."

Some were life-threatening, but they also included cleft palates and club feet.

Australia: Abortion Bill Passes Third Reading

The bill to remove abortion from the Crimes Act of the state of Victoria, Australia, has passed its third and final reading in the lower house. After a marathon session of Parliament MPs voted 48 in favour and 28 against legalising abortion in the Australian state. - www.lifesitenews.com

Below is a small excerpt from the article at Life Site News.

"Liberal frontbencher Martin Dixon told the house of his very personal reason for vehemently opposing late-term abortions: his daughter, Monique, was born after just 22½ weeks' gestation. Monique, he said, was "really doing quite well" during her first day of life, but her condition quickly deteriorated and she lived only one more day.
"In the two days of Monique's life she was a person," Mr Dixon told a hushed house. "She was a daughter, she was a sister, she was a granddaughter and she was a niece. She reacted to us, she reacted to light, she reacted to touch, she held my finger and she was a person."

"Even at 16 weeks our daughter made her presence felt in my wife's womb and had, we felt, a personality of her own," he said."

Related posts: Australia: Murder to be Mandatory, Australia: "Abortion up til Birth" to be Introduced

Update (16 September 12:30am): A good article on this over at Constant Joy, including a video of Gianna Jessen's terrifyingly motivating speech given in Parliament House, Victoria, Australia.

Australia: Murder to be Mandatory

I have just read the Abortion Law Reform Bill 2008 currently before the Parliament of Victoria, Australia. In simple language, it succinctly outlines its brutal purpose. Pictured on the right is the unfortunate face of the Minister for Early Childhood Development, Maxine Morand MP. The Victoria Government has given her the duty of "ensur[ing] that all Victorian children have the opportunity to get the very best possible start in life." - source. It seems impossible then that Morand could have tabled the bill calling for abortion on demand in her state. Below are the two most attrocious aims of the bill, with comments from Right to Life Australia in italics.

Section 5: Termination of pregnancy by registered medical practitioner after 24 weeks
(1) A registered medical practitioner may perform an abortion on a woman who is more than 24 weeks pregnant only if the medical practitioner—
(a) reasonably believes that the abortion is appropriate in all the circumstances; and
(b) has consulted at least one other registered medical practitioner who also reasonably believes that the abortion is appropriate in all the circumstances.
(2) In considering whether the abortion is appropriate in all the circumstances, a registered medical practitioner must have regard to—
(a) all relevant medical circumstances; and
(b) the woman's current and future physical, psychological and social circumstances.

Section 5 of the Bill allows abortion after 24 weeks up until birth if two doctors believe the “abortion is appropriate in all the circumstances.” The appropriateness of the abortion will be judged on “the woman's current and future physical, psychological and social circumstances”. This, in effect, represents abortion on demand up to birth. We know that doctors are already willing to perform these late term abortions for psychological and social reasons, and women seeking an abortion will have no trouble finding two such doctors.

Section 8(3)&(4): Despite any conscientious objection to abortion, a registered medical practitioner [or a registered nurse] is under a duty to perform an abortion in an emergency where the abortion is necessary to preserve the life of the pregnant woman.

Section 8 of the Bill requires pro-life doctors to refer women to pro-abortion doctors if they themselves conscientiously object to abortion. This section does not provide for conscientious objection at all because it mandates that all doctors participate in the abortion process. Section 8 also mandates that pro-life doctors and nurses must participate in abortions if there is an ‘emergency threatening the life of the woman’. How will that be defined? On current interpretations this section could be read as a broad obligation to perform abortions.

---

This is a terrible downwards step for Australia to be taking. In passing this bill into law, they join ranks with the few other countries who allow abortion up till birth. Under their new law, it will be legal to end the life of a little baby just minutes before it would have been naturally born. This is due to the fact that the bill does not specify at what number of weeks abortion may not take place - or, may only take place if the mother's life is at "serious risk".

Sick.

Australia: "Abortion up til Birth" to be Introduced

This is so seriously disgusting that I can't even pull myself together and write something about it. (And I'm supposed to be studying for a test. Though somehow, passing or failing this test isn't even on the same scale with this monstrosity of a human-rights breach likely to be implemented in Australia very soon...)For now I will just copy below, and excerpt from the Constant Joy blog. Head over there to read the rest of the article.

brrrr....this is so wrong! According to the proposed law change, abortions will be legalized at all stages of development in Victoria, Australia....

On 9 September, 2008 the Legislative Assembly of Victoria, Australia will consider a bill to decriminalize abortion in that state. What is being proposed is nothing short of horrific and there are lessons here for Christians and governments in all democratic nations.
Under a model recommended by Victorian Law Reform Commission the government is proposing the following:

• For pregnancies less than 24 weeks, a woman would be allowed to have an abortion done by a medical practitioner for any reason.
• For pregnancies of more than 24 weeks gestation (in other words, right up until the time of birth) abortion would be lawful if a doctor determined that it was necessary to prevent risk of harm to the woman if the pregnancy continued. As has been shown in other countries the ‘risk’ or harm may include factors that merely impinge upon a woman’s social life. ~ Creation on the Web
  

How can a 'social life' be more important than someone's life? What's happened to human rights? Just because a foetus lives in the womb doesn't mean the child is any less human. The unborn baby's heart starts beating on the 21st day after conception, and can survive outside the womb after 20 weeks (which is getting earlier as technology increases). Is being pregnant really the end of the world?

Read the rest of the article here

Pro-Lifers Shut Down: US, Australia

In Australia, attempts to stop pro-lifers from approaching women going into abortion clinics are heightened, with a proposed new law that would create a 50-metre no-go area surrounding Australia's largest abortion mill.

"The Victorian Government has been asked to create a 50m protest-free "bubble zone" around the entrance of Australia's largest provider of abortion services...
The zone... would effectively end a 16-year campaign by anti-abortion groups to dissuade women from entering the Fertility Control Clinic in East Melbourne..
Protester Dave Forster said such a zone would prevent protesters approaching women seeking abortion. "There would be a minimum distance that we would be required to stay outside of, and I guess it would mean that we are not allowed within 50 metres of the clinic," he said." - The Australian (2 September 2008)

The Constant Joy blog covered this travesty of freedom of speech a couple of days ago,

"By placing a bubble zone around the Fertility Control Clinic, the government would be limiting the protesters' democratic rights. One of the principles of democracy allows all individuals the freedom of speech, so both the abortion clinic and the protesters should therefore be able to have their say - but neither should be able to stop the other from voicing their views. As Voltaire said, "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.'" - Constant Joy

What we have here, is a petty little bylaw being put forward, which if it came into law, would specify a 50metre perimeter of public land surrounding an abortion mill as being a restricted-access area - but only to such people as disagreed with what terrible attrocities were being carried out inside it's walls.  This is a contemporary example of discrimination against citizens of a country on the basis of personal belief.  Does this remind you of anything?

Are you annoyed yet?  We haven't even got started. A month ago (1 August) in the town of Bel Air, Maryland, a dozen or more police officers broke up a peaceful protest staged by members of Defend Life.

"The allegations in the case sound like a 3rd World dictatorship: Police officers talk over before the arrests what charges they'll use, there are no explanations when the arrests are made, the suspects are denied access to legal counsel while in custody, and cops subject suspects to semi-public strip-searches."...
The truth of the matter is that our clients were heckled, arrested, imprisoned, shackled, and strip-searched twice for exercising their First Amendment rights," said attorney Daniel Cox, who is allied with the Alliance Defense Fund is serving as local counsel. "No excuse exists for how our young clients were treated."...
The officers had ordered them off of county property because they did not have a permit to engage in free speech, the report said. And after the arrests, "Three young female participants – including teenagers – were subjected to two rounds of strip-searches," the lawsuit said." - WND

"What happened on August 1st is almost unbelievable, that 18 persons who were peaceably assembled on public property out of harm's way were arrested without any warning and without being told what the charges against them were. None of those arrested were read their rights. Only a few were allowed to make a single phone call.
This decision by the State of Maryland to drop the charges shows that our side of the story was the true story. There were no traffic jams. There were no people running in and out of traffic. There was no refusal to disperse. They plainly and simply violated our First Amendment rights!" - Defend Life Blog

And at the Phatmass blog, a friend of the young people reports,

"The officer followed them, and once they had set up, he came and arrested my friend. He said nothing except for "Turn around, you're under arrest." When she asked why she was under arrest and what her rights were, he ignored her. Then they arrested everyone who was there. It took all night for them to be processed. They were all relased by around 9:30am-- some on bail (out of staters), others just released." - Phatmass Blog

"It's a woman's choice" they tell us.  But as abortion-survivor Gianna Jessen says so aptly, "if abortion is merely about women's rights, then what were mine?"  Consider the young women shown in the photos being handcuffed and carted off to jail; where was their choice?

Is abortion so sacred to the state that they are prepared to illegally arrest and detain citizens who are merely voicing their opinion?  The answer is glaringly obvious, and it is Yes.

Fred Dagg as John Howard

Stumbled upon a hilarious collection of videos starring Kiwi Fred Dagg (aka John Clarke) and Bryan Dawe.  I've got nothing against John Howard, but these are wonderfully funny videos.

Iraq strategies | climate change | Misinformed Australian