Abortion rights
At this time of renewed legal challenge of the limited rights to abortion available in Australia, and on the eve of International Women's Day, it was depressing to read Drusilla Modjeska's piece "It's time to rethink abortion" in the Sydney Morning Herald on March 5.
Modjeska affirms that she continues to be "pro-choice", wanting "safe and legal abortions for those women who make that choice", but says she has "lost the comforting certainties of youth" and is dissatisfied with the rhetoric on both sides — that of "murdering babies" on one side versus abortion as a "minor medical procedure" on the other. Modjeska goes on to say that "for most women, it is a grievous decision to terminate an unwanted pregnancy".
While I can understand that Modjeska may, like all of us, rethink positions we have adopted in past years on any number of issues, she entirely misses the central point regarding abortion in today's Australia. It is the continuing illegality, semi-legality or potential illegality that makes abortion more than "a minor medical procedure".
This is not to say that abortion is without its challenging moral aspects. But deciding to have a vasectomy (for example) also presents moral challenges and painful moral dilemmas — a decision here may well be regretted and cause great, even "grievous" anguish in later life. This does not provide grounds for making vasectomy illegal or difficult and traumatic to arrange.
Let abortion take its place with other medical procedures (minor or otherwise) and let women have the right to choose if and when we give birth. The old slogan still makes sense and unfortunately still needs to be chanted: "Not the church, not the state, women must decide their fate."
Sydney
Bad language
Get off your high horse, Adam Baker (Write on, GLW #307).
You're worried about the linguistic standards of Green Left because of "profane language" (swearing) in the cartoons? The Oxford dictionary defines "profane" as "not belonging to what is sacred or biblical; secular" or "to violate or pollute (what is entitled to respect)".
I think that secular language is entirely appropriate in GLW. And the politicians that Chris Kelly satirises are not entitled to any respect in my world view.
Is your problem lack of understanding of people who you conveniently label as "rednecks" because they swear a lot? I know a fair few people who fit this category (myself on a bad day) yet are quite the opposite of rednecks. Indeed, a much greater potential problem for GLW is the use of too much high-falutin' language which will not make sense to many.
It is true that swear words aren't as accurate or articulate as many situations require, but the intellectually correct word will not give the required emotional satisfaction in other situations. Swearing has its place. You should try it.
Footscray Vic
Suharto
The Australian Defence Chief General John Baker's visit to Indonesia was a mistake. What the Defence Chief of this country should do is stay out of Indonesia and mind his own business. The crisis in Indonesia was brought about by greed of the powerful Suharto junta that controls the economic resources of that country.
Suharto is a very evil man. His hands drip with the blood of hundreds of thousands murdered during the 1965 coup that brought him to power.
Never let it be said that he is a man of good will. What Suharto is doing in East Timor and Irian Jaya, murdering people fighting for their rights in those countries, is proof of that. What the IMF and the Australian Government should do is give Indonesia a wide berth and pull away from giving that country any future assistance.
There's only one solution to the crisis in Indonesia and that's the overthrow of the Suharto regime that is responsible for the present economic chaos.
Brisbane
Greens' health policy
After years of cut backs by both Coalition and ALP governments, Tasmania's public health care system is in crisis. What has amazed and angered me and many others even more is the Tasmanian Greens' recent proposal to supposedly alleviate this crisis.
Tasmania has one of the highest levels of unemployment and lowest average weekly incomes in Australia. Do the Greens propose, therefore, to pressure the Federal and State governments for more funding through organised community based campaigns? No. Do the Greens want the Federal government to stop the useless $600 million annual subsidy to the private health funds? No.
The Tasmanian Greens have decided on a weekly health levy. Do you think they mean on big business? They don't. They want every Tasmanian household to pay the $2 levy. Oops! I nearly forgot: those of us who live below the poverty line courtesy of DSS will only have to pay $1 a week.
This latest proposal demonstrates how out of touch the Greens are with those of us whose lives are a constant struggle to survive, and with those of us who have a commitment to inspire others to organise for a better environment and a more just world. The Greens should start to look at the social consequences of their proposal and of their time "cooperating" with the State Liberal Government.
Hobart
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Australian Democrats
Russell Pickering's statement, "Much of the (Australian) Democrats campaign was focused at the federal level, calling on supporters to 'send a message to Kirribilli'" (GLW #308), has missed the point of the "lift the shadow" slogan by artificially creating a distinction between ACT Liberal and Labor, and their Federal counterparts.
The Democrats' campaign intended to point out this similarity and suggest voters choose an alternative to the two major parties which are implementing the same policies for the same reasons as their federal counterparts.
The Democrats released 20 local policies in our campaign, most of which were largely ignored by the media, and suffered from the disadvantage of being a minor party without a sitting member.
We did, however, increase our primary vote by about 50% over the last ACT election in spite of the large number of candidates, and were the only party, apart from the Democratic Socialists, to markedly increase our vote.
The Osborne independents also increased their vote, but this was a result of standing in more electorates rather than achieving more voter support.
I believe the Hare-Clark system of voting currently employed ensures a fair election result, except for those voters who were ill-advised to vote for only one minor party or group of independents which were excluded in first or second stages of the counting, and did not give their preferences for candidates in other parties.
ACT Democrats' candidate for Molonglo
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No money for Suharto
The Australian government intends helping the Indonesian government with $380 million in aid. They plan to do this without first ensuring that the Suharto family and cronies have been made to disgorge 70-80% of their ill-gotten gains.
It is high time that Suharto and his phoney parliament were subjected to a UN supervised election where the true wishes of the Indonesian people could be made clear. Otherwise it will be a case of more of the same.
Sydney
Women's sport
A long-legged, skinny brunette in tight red shorts stares wickedly at the quivering man lying on the ground between her feet. A golf tee and ball are placed in his fearful mouth. She raises the club and swings. Only his bloody, fly clustered nose is left behind, to rot on the grass.
This is the latest television promotion for women's golf. Not only is the ad particularly "off" and arguably offensive, it is demeaning to the sport and the women who play it.
Scantily clad super-models beating up men on the blood splattered green, or young women looking like they stepped off the set of Bladerunner prancing around with golf clubs is like no women's golf game I've ever seen.
Men's golf is promoted by the (famous) sportsmen who play it for the skill and competitiveness it requires. In contrast, the Ladies Masters ad has models, instead of real golfers, to promote it. This sends the message: it's okay for women to play golf, as long as they look gorgeous doing it.
Sports Illustrated and countless other magazines also present women's sport as being only for the bold and beautiful, rather than for athleticism and skill.
The Ladies Masters ad also presents the game as aggressive and anti-men. This taps into the way social commentators have presented women's sports (with the possible exception of tennis) for years. When women "get physical" and enjoy it without worrying about how they look, they are branded as "tomboys" or out to beat men (up).
Not being a big fan of golf, I can understand the need to promote the game. But get real: women's golf is a sport, not an image. It should be promoted that way.
Blue Mountains NSW
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