Roundup: Australian Senator Claims Women Would Have Late Term Abortions for Pay

Jun 17, 2010, 8:30am

An Australian senator blocks paid leave because it will cause "drug addicts and welfare cheats" to have late term abortions.

In case you didn’t know, women will do pretty much anything to get an easy payout. And there is absolutely nothing in this world easier than being pregnant, right?

Or so claims Steve Fielding, a senator from the “Family First” party in Australia.

The senate was debating a historic piece of legislation that would allow women 18 weeks of paid leave after the birth of a child, when Fielding began expressing his “concerns.” The leave would be granted not just to those who gave birth to live children, but also to women who had given birth to a stillborn baby (technically, the birth of a child after 20 weeks that did not survive). Fielding stated that allowing stillborns to be included was a massive “loophole” that could be taken advantage of. From the HeraldSun:

“Drug addicts and welfare cheats can get themselves pregnant and then after 20 weeks have an abortion and still pocket the Government’s cash,” he told the Senate.

“There may be mums out there who want to cheat the system in a horrific way.”

His comments were rejected by fellow senators as sad and pathetic.

“All I was trying to do was close that loophole,” Senator Fielding told ABC TV today, adding his approach was “fair and reasonable”.

“I wasn’t the only one to raise this issue in the Senate yesterday.”

But Senator Fielding, when pressed to name the other senators, could not come up with any names.

Fielding’s comments were quickly attacked by many, including the country’s sex discrimination commissioner. Via ABC News, Australia:

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick has described Family First Senator Steve Fielding’s claim that women may try to claim paid parental leave after having late-term abortions as shocking and offensive.

…

Ms Broderick says she wants to meet with Senator Fielding to discuss his comments over the provisions in the law for stillborn babies.

“To the extent that we could suggest that women could get pregnant and then have a late-term abortion solely for the purpose of collecting paid parental leave – I think most people around Australia found those comments quite offensive,” she told ABC 2.

According to Crikey, this isn’t the first time Fielding has attacked the plan, and in very vehement terms:

in fact, Fielding has been spouting malicious garbage about paid parental leave since at least Tuesday morning when, on the doors, he said the government’s scheme “is putting prisoners and prostitutes ahead of stay-at-home mums”.

The line didn’t really get the sort of media run Fielding is used to, so he had another go yesterday, tweeting:

About to talk in the Senate about PPL. The govt is giving prisoners and prostitutes the payment while stay at home mums get nothing

Welcome to Steve Fielding’s version of the Madonna-whore complex: stay-at-home mums and prostitutes and prisoners.

Kind of makes you wonder how pro-family the “Family First” party really is.

Mini Roundup: All of the usual suspects are fighting the FDA approval for ella. But since they are against plain old ordinary contraception, too, does anyone consider them unbiased sources?

June 16, 2010

Charlie Crist gambles on the left – Washington Post

FRC Responds to Release of First Ever GAO Report on Federal Funding for … – PR Newswire

Fielding scorned over abortion jibe – Herald Sun

Feminism Today Breaks New Ground, But It Isn’t Pro-Life – Campus Progress

Ella: Contraception or Abortion Pill? – MyFox Phoenix

Activists protest abortion pill at Ashland clinic – Ashland Daily Tidings

Charlie Crist Courts Left, Could Win Democrats’ Support – CBS News

Family First scorned over abortion jibe – Herald Sun

Women Allege Forced Abortion Inside Church of Scientology – Care2.com

Abortion ultrasound bills wins final legislative approval – 2TheAdvocate

CWA to Testify at FDA Hearing on Abortion Drug – Christian News Wire