In the fallout of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was good that abortion rights aren’t a partisan issue in Australia.
“That’s a good thing. It’s good here that we don’t deal with it in the same way that has seen the division in the United States,” he said.
Although not exactly identical, the reaction by some anti-abortion groups and conservative politicians shows there’s an active push to roll back access to reproductive health access in Australia.
The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) was quick off the mark to celebrate the decision, calling the decision to force women to birth children a “tremendous victory in the United States” in a Facebook post made at the weekend.
The group — which told Crikey it would support penalties for doctors who failed to observe their proposed bans on abortions in certain situations — reiterated its support for a pro-life movement in Australia: “This is only the beginning.”
Queensland anti-abortion group Cherish Life similarly welcomed the decision, posting several variations on its Facebook page of “BREAKING: Roe V Wade overturned!!! Goodbye & good riddance!!”
ACL managing director Martyn Iles went further. He linked the movement to ban abortion to a broader focus from conservatives on preventing children being “corrupted with immoral filth as early as possible”, alluding to the conservative movement’s renewed focus on children that’s restricting them from accessing LGBTIQA+ support and being taught “critical race theory”.
Some Australian conservative politicians also recognised the decision. Queensland LNP Senator Matt Canavan, who has attended anti-abortion rallies and spoken in Parliament about his desire to roll back access, tweeted: “A wonderful day to protect human life.”
Undeterred by his expulsion from the Liberal Party over radical anti-abortion stance, Bernie Finn rejoiced on Facebook: “SCOTUS has overturned Roe v. Wade. This is a great day for the world!”
Family First national director Lyle Shelton predictably also heralded the Supreme Court’s decision. Shelton argued that “SCOTUS has simply brought the US back into line with other countries, including Australia”, conveniently ignoring the fact that overturning Roe v Wade so that states’ law decides means, practically, that abortion is likely to be unavailable in nearly half of the states due to existing abortion bans.
On Sky News Australia, however, host Rowan Dean sought to play down that Roe v Wade has anything to do with abortion, somehow. (Seen here talking to James Morrow.)
“It’s like how the Black Lives Matter stuff wasn’t about race or black people; and how climate change isn’t about the end of the planet or protecting the planet. This abortion decision is yet again fomenting hatred of the family, hatred of the West, hatred of the institutions of the West, to tear down and attack everything that the West holds dear,” he said.
“It’s nothing to do with abortion.”
Well I agree regarding “preventing children being “corrupted with immoral filth as early as possible”. Closing religious schools and removing tax exemptions for religions would be a good start. Bankrupting them with compensation claims based on their complicity with paedophilia is also logical. As for the chaplains in schools business, what about we swap them for philosophers and help kids to think and reflect instead
I know, I know, I’m shooting fish in a barrel and a small barrel at that. I take some comfort in that, like the nut job anti-vaxxers, the predictable suspects quoted here are the marginal and not too bright spokespeople for the rump minority of fringe every liberal democracy has persisting within it.
Is Rowan Dean real?? And what has he that substitutes for a brain?
I will be more heedful of pro-life zealots when I see them protesting as enthusiastically against war, against domestic violence, against deaths in custody (black & white), for improving ingenious health and life span, for suicide reduction etc.
The sanctimonious pro-life argument that ‘every life is sacred’ applies only to pre-natal ‘life’. After that, the violence that is done to that life is not apparently the concern of pro-life zealots.
Hilarious how conservatives/rwnjs expose their ignorance so readily. How could anyone PAY them for this tripe?
How would forcing women to give birth make them love family, love the West, love its ‘institutions’ and love everything the West holds dear.
Or did Rowan mean we are all meant to love living in a patriarchy that controls women ( and minorities) using all forms of violence, including forced births because he knows whats best for women, people of colour and the climate.
So Matt Canavan tweeted his support for this barbaric piece of religious overreach?
Unsurprising that the village idiot once again finds himself on the wrong side of the argument.
Political gold dust for the teals though.
SCROTUS.
Surprise me, Kanavan the climate change denialist, puppet of the fossils fuel companies, is also anti abortion?
What else is under those rocks out there?
As a southerner from near the NSW-VIC border travelling around Qld, I have to wonder what exactly the Nat/Country party has done for Qld. Internet doesn’t work unless you’re within cooee of a Post Office and the road – the National Highway A1 – is a one lane goat track along the so-callled Savannah Way between Croydon and Mt Surprise.
Summed up with Canavan’s statement following his regrettably temporary loss of office over dual citizenship problems…
“…been such an honour to represent the Australian mining sector over the past year”
Never mind the people of Queensland for whom he was elected to represent as a Senator