Women's choice
In Volume 167 (1997) of the Medical Journal of Australia, obstetrician Richard Henshaw reviewed the literature comparing surgical abortions and medical abortions using RU486. He observed that, in relation to safety, efficacy, acceptability, psychological outcomes, economic outcomes and long-term sequela, "there seem to be few differences between the alternatives" and that "indeed medical abortion may be the procedure of choice at very early (less than seven weeks) gestations".
British research found that individual women appear to have a strong preference for a particular abortion method, with over 90% being willing to pay to ensure they had a choice. Those people warning about the risks associated with RU486, and downplaying the importance of choice to women, should consider these results.
Brent Howard — Rydalmere, NSW
An act of political maturity
This is a time for more reflection on the death penalty and the taking of life. We should be opposing the use of the death penalty in relation to all human beings worldwide. You will discover uncomfortable decisions, contradictions and rampant hypocrisy.
The nations with which our government has the warmest relations are those that are autocratic, secretive and execute their citizens and others at an astounding rate. Singapore practices state murder at seven times the per capita rate in the USA. The USA is about to celebrate its 1000th state murder in modern times. That doesn't even count the thousands of lynchings that were allowed to go on in Southern states.
The Australian government has not put the work in with fellow Commonwealth countries or our great and powerful friends the USA, and trading partners like China. Selfish trading interests deter us from upholding the human rights of others and stifle dissent at home. Many of us experienced this in relation to Indonesia, East Timor and China, as our own government sanitised the bloodstained hands of dictators.
We have to be consistent about the death penalty, state murder and state terror. We have to campaign against the death penalty on convicted Bali bomber Amrosi, on former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and thousands of others who are not named and not Australians.
And we have to condemn torture and demand that David Hicks is freed from Guantanamo Bay, but also the many others whose names are not on our lips. It is called political maturity — something that is lacking in our current government.
Willy Bach — West End, Qld — Abridged.
A thorn in the side of the prison system
In reference to your "Prisoners protest for better conditions" item in GLW #648, Stuart Highway — the person, not the road! — was one of the prisoners alleged "responsible for organising" the 40 inmates' sit-in.
Any activist/GLW reader who's been to Darwin would have met Stuart, a renowned anarchist human rights troublemaker. From campaigns for East Timor, Indigenous rights, anti-electoral politics, and most recently against Martin and Howard's draconian laws, this one-man Highway has been a thorn in the side of injustice.
As a result of a community smoke-in, in October 2002, opposing the Martin government's "drug house" laws, Stuart was sentenced on 19 October 2005, to three months' jail. Apologies for continuing the same pun, but can you imagine a Highway being found guilty of unlawful damage to a government car: namely, a police vehicle's broken windscreen?
As you can see, Stuart is not taking it quietly. And while he's in there for us, we can be there for him from out here: join the campaign to "bury Stuart in an avalanche of weekly postcards/letters". Letting the NT government know that the "whole world is watching" is the best way to protect Stuart, and support his being a thorn in the side of the prison system.
Please write to Mr Stuart Highway, Berrimah Correctional Facility, PO 1407, Darwin 0801.
Peter McGregor — Newcastle
Trying to tell the truth
I gave three internal cheers when I read Alex Milne's letter on the benefits of activism (GLW #649), something so life affirming that a letter needed to be written. Then I saw that Andrew Alcock, long-time East Timor solidarity activist, had written the letter above; heaven on a stick.
That said, to work in a "regular" job, with "regular" people can sometimes be lonely. People are often preoccupied with other matters — they have a different mental landscape. So I find it necessary to find places where people are trying to tell the truth.
One of those is Green Left Weekly. Another is Democracy Now, which you can hear in Sydney on weekdays 9am-10am, on Radio Skid Row 88.9FM (just after Workers' Radio, 5.30am-9am ... see the review by Tim Cobin in GLW #649).
The Democracy Now presenter is Amy Goodman, the same Amy Goodman who, with fellow US journalist Allan Nairn, tried to protect the East Timorese during the 1991 Dili Massacre. She is a great journalist. For instance, one might guess that, with the mainstream [media] interest in terrorism, it might have done what Amy Goodman did: dedicate time to the first anniversary of the destruction of Fallujah. White phosphorous was dropped on Fallujah. Its effects are as near to napalm as makes no difference. If that indiscriminate killing of civilians does not qualify as terrorism, I do not know what does.
Most of Democracy Now is "from the horse's mouth" interviews, and real journalism; well researched stuff that challenges power.
Another "must-hear" is Alternative Radio on 2SER on 107.3FM, Mondays at 10pm and Sundays at 11am. Eccentric time for the sort of journalism and radical reflection I have been urging Background Briefing to put to air on Radio National for years.
Stephen Langford — Paddington NSW — Abridged.
A new election?
It's hard to believe that in the dawning of a new millennium we would see Australia begin to slide into the dark abyss of a Dickensian-style social order.
Greedy, rapacious bosses looming over vulnerable workers awaiting laws that will allow the exploitation to begin, while half the population cowers and subdues their "expressions of thought" fearing the knock in the middle of the night that will carry them away to a dark corner of the world. An autocratic government that dictates its parliamentary agenda with a Stalinist-style decree.
What the hell is going on? How did we come to this? This is not Australia! This is a freaky blend of Pol Pot and McCarthyism.
It may be naive to suggest that an election is warranted, but with two major pieces of legislation being put through, "we the people" have a right to request it. Especially when the last election was run with no mention of either two proposals.
There is the chance of Howard being re-elected, but he's going to get the two bills through anyway. With a double dissolution, the Senate may change. At the very least we could rattle his government with the suggestion of an election. It may be the one initiative the left (and other non-Liberals) can focus on in united approach.
It would be difficult for some of us to get behind Beazley, but that may be what we have to do. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but at this point it may be easier to pressure a government to call an election than it would be to get them to back down from passing a particular bill.
George Mercier — Rose Bay, NSW — Abridged.
From Green Left Weekly, December 7, 2005.
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