NEWS: Australia plunges into new row over abortion, page 1

posted on Feb, 2 2005 @ 07:48 PM

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The new leader of Australia's opposition Labor Party, caused a stir when he backed a pro-life coalition. This stance reverses the previously held position of the party. Statistically, Australia on a per capital basis, is among the leaders in performing the procedure.

[url=http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1530&ncid=733&e=3&u=/afp/20050202/wl_asia_afp/australiapoliticsabortion]story.news.yahoo.com[/ur l]
SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia was plunged into a fresh row over its abortion laws, after the new leader of the Labor opposition backed a pro-life coalition for the first time.

In a reversal of Labor's earlier stance on the issue, newly appointed Labor leader Kim Beazley, a committed Christian, said he was personally opposed to abortion, although he did not support criminalizing it.

"I'm opposed to abortion," he told a Melbourne radio station on Tuesday. "That's an individual moral stance."

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

I found this interesting because of a variety of reasons. First, outside of the U.S., or at least our media, we get very little information or news about abortion issues world wide. The other is that this is a shift of what it would seem to be to the the U.S. Democrats counterparts in Australia. U.S. Democrats are currently pondering the same shift in thier parties platform.

Trent

posted on Feb, 2 2005 @ 08:55 PM

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Labor doesn't have much of a chance in the near future, the Liberals have already won over too many people that used to vote Labor. Having right wing beliefs is just going to push even more people over to the Liberal party or to the Greens who have steadily been gaining support each election and are now much more powerful than the Democrats.

[edit on 2-2-2005 by Trent]

drfunk

posted on Feb, 2 2005 @ 11:25 PM

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this is misleading. He actually said that he doesn't like abortion but he still doesnt believe it should be criminal not to have one. Abortion is a conscience vote in labor, there is no party line or party platform. It enrages me that yahoo twists it to make australia look as redneck as the americans on this issue. While undoubtedly christian PM's will push for changes, I hope it doesn't happen.

Most Australians I believe are pro-choice and I hope it remains this way. To deny a woman control over her body is criminal.

thanks,
drfunk