1 August 2013

Zed's Agin' RU486

| johnboy
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This in from Joe Dempsey:

Hi Johnboy!

I thought you might be interested in the some of the outcomes of the candidates Q&A that was held by the ANU Society for Arts & Social Sciences (SASS) at the ANU last night.

The two lead senate candidates for each of the Canberra Liberals (Zed Seselja) and the ACT Greens (Simon Sheikh) attended a panel, along with the support senate candidate for the ALP (Chris Sant).

Some of the details about the event are here: https://www.facebook.com/events/380956965338975/

Probably the most interesting moments of the event were Zed’s comments on the abortion pill RU486 (I’ve attached a extract of the event recording for reference).

Zed:
“Well, I take a pro-life position and I have been on the record for a long time. My views on RU486 is that it is not just about the issue of abortion. The issues surrounding RU486, which were debated in the federal parliament, were also about dangers to the health of women unsupervised and issues around that. They were a range of issues and so if it were to come before me and I was in the federal parliament, and it was a conscience vote, I would always take the position of a pro-life position but also a position which looked at what was in the best interests of women”

I think these comments were notable as Zed was the only candidate to speak out against RU486 and it’s recent addition to the pharmaceutical benefits scheme.

Zed’s comments that RU486 is unsafe for “women unsupervised” are also unfounded. It has already been used by millions of women around the world. RU486 avoids the risks of having to undergo surgery, have an anaesthetic, it dramatically reduces the risk of infection and renders the risk of maternal death virtually non-existent.

Zed seems to think that RU486 is a dangerous drug in itself, ignoring the fact that it has been approved for use by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration, the US FDA, and approved for use in most western European countries for over 20 years.

It is also listed under it’s formal name (Mifepristone) on the WHO Essential Medicines List.

Let me know if you need any further information about the event.

Many Thanks

Joe Dempsey
Monash, ACT

Here’s the audio.

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There is an article circulating in the media about Bindi Irwin advocating birth control to save the planet. She may just have a point.

Mr Evil said :

johnboy said :

You guys forget, Mr G is all about maximising the sexual availability of women (possibly in case one day the stars align and some woman somewhere wants to sleep with him).

So he’s dead against pregnancy.

And while we are on the topic of Mr Gillespie: don’t forget, kiddies – plastic shopping bags do not make an effective contraceptive device.

Well those bags are an ongoing source of friction and the thought of leakage is somewhat disconcerting given the potential outcome….mini me!

johnboy said :

You guys forget, Mr G is all about maximising the sexual availability of women (possibly in case one day the stars align and some woman somewhere wants to sleep with him).

So he’s dead against pregnancy.

And while we are on the topic of Mr Gillespie: don’t forget, kiddies – plastic shopping bags do not make an effective contraceptive device.

johnboy said :

You guys forget, Mr G is all about maximising the sexual availability of women (possibly in case one day the stars align and some woman somewhere wants to sleep with him).

So he’s dead against pregnancy.

JohnBoy, women can still sleep with MrG even if they are pregnant. They may even prefer it that way, since they can’t get pregnant again while in that condition…

Mr Gillespie said :

Pro-life position. Quickest way to erode your case and make people swing back to the other side.

I’m sorry Zed, but I will flatly refuse to hear this “pro-life” position. “Pro-life” ignores the needs of terminally-ill patients whose only way out is euthanasia, and ignores the needs of people seeking abortion even if they were raped. “Pro-life” are the types who hang around abortion clinics harassing women who are hurting no-one (except for this imaginary “unborn baby” they are hell-bent on protecting), and in extreme cases overseas, murder doctors who perform abortions to justify their fascist agenda.

That is my honest opinion. I can’t support Zed on this one I’m afraid.

There can only be one explanation for this comment and that is Mr G has been hacked!

You guys forget, Mr G is all about maximising the sexual availability of women (possibly in case one day the stars align and some woman somewhere wants to sleep with him).

So he’s dead against pregnancy.

Mr Gillespie said :

Pro-life position. Quickest way to erode your case and make people swing back to the other side.

I’m sorry Zed, but I will flatly refuse to hear this “pro-life” position. “Pro-life” ignores the needs of terminally-ill patients whose only way out is euthanasia, and ignores the needs of people seeking abortion even if they were raped. “Pro-life” are the types who hang around abortion clinics harassing women who are hurting no-one (except for this imaginary “unborn baby” they are hell-bent on protecting), and in extreme cases overseas, murder doctors who perform abortions to justify their fascist agenda.

That is my honest opinion. I can’t support Zed on this one I’m afraid.

+100

And I can’t believe I am agreeing with something Mr G has said.

bd84 said :

I think “Joe Dempsey” forgot to include his apparent political affiliation in his correspondence..

I don’t think Zed has ever hidden his position on the matter.. I think he has 4 or 5 kids? He is entitled to his opinion like everyone else. I might not agree with this one, but throwing rubbish like this around to try and sway voters on one issue is like pissing into the wind.

And voters are entitled to know that Zed will vote to ensure women are forced to carry to term and give birth to unwanted children. Pro-life is a euphemism for forced birth. And Zed will vote in favour of it.

Zed does not oppose RU486, Zed apposes thinking for yourself. He is happy to be led around by the ring in his nose as it is pulled by the Catholics. The only reason he is a Catholic is because his parents brain washed him to believe it from birth.

Mr Gillespie said :

Pro-life position. Quickest way to erode your case and make people swing back to the other side.

I’m sorry Zed, but I will flatly refuse to hear this “pro-life” position. “Pro-life” ignores the needs of terminally-ill patients whose only way out is euthanasia, and ignores the needs of people seeking abortion even if they were raped. “Pro-life” are the types who hang around abortion clinics harassing women who are hurting no-one (except for this imaginary “unborn baby” they are hell-bent on protecting), and in extreme cases overseas, murder doctors who perform abortions to justify their fascist agenda.

That is my honest opinion. I can’t support Zed on this one I’m afraid.

Holy crap! Was that a humane and thoughtful opinion from Mr G? I must be having flashbacks, or can everyone else see it too?

Mr Gillespie6:56 pm 02 Aug 13

Pro-life position. Quickest way to erode your case and make people swing back to the other side.

I’m sorry Zed, but I will flatly refuse to hear this “pro-life” position. “Pro-life” ignores the needs of terminally-ill patients whose only way out is euthanasia, and ignores the needs of people seeking abortion even if they were raped. “Pro-life” are the types who hang around abortion clinics harassing women who are hurting no-one (except for this imaginary “unborn baby” they are hell-bent on protecting), and in extreme cases overseas, murder doctors who perform abortions to justify their fascist agenda.

That is my honest opinion. I can’t support Zed on this one I’m afraid.

Affirmative Action Man said :

Zed’s fully entitled to his view about supporting RU486 or not. but why does he need to crap on & pretend to justify his view by saying it has dangers for women – where is the evidence about these dangers.

He should have the guts to say he doesn’t support it because he finds it Immoral or it goes against his Catholic faith.

Why is he opposing something he will never have to deal with personally. It’s not like getting shafted by the electorate will cause him to get pregnant…

switch said :

p1 said :

Opposing abortion in all forms because you feel life begins at conception and God doesn’t like you killing live humans is a position he can take which (while I don’t hold it) I can see as somewhat reasonable.

And if the majority of the people he represents think otherwise…

Please, let’s not get carried away here with that constituent representation nonsense..

p1 said :

Opposing abortion in all forms because you feel life begins at conception and God doesn’t like you killing live humans is a position he can take which (while I don’t hold it) I can see as somewhat reasonable.

And if the majority of the people he represents think otherwise…

Opposing abortion in all forms because you feel life begins at conception and God doesn’t like you killing live humans is a position he can take which (while I don’t hold it) I can see as somewhat reasonable.

Holding a position on the safety of a medication which is at odds with such a large group of professional medical authorities is a little like denying climate change because you don’t think it is happening.

Entirely unsurprising – no more or less than you’d expect from this a***hole.

oh and cyph, cos you’re so clearly a trained medical professional, i suppose you’re confident that inducing a miscarriage is a walk in the park and /never/ goes wrong for anyone. it’s the perfect drug with no side effects

again, bravo…loser

Cyph said :

zorro29 said :

I was unfortunately in a position where I made the choice to terminate a pregnancy (recently) and was given the option of the surgery or RU486. On the basis of information I had about the drug, I chose to use this method over the surgery (even though it wasn’t on the PBS yet and cost almost $700).

The procedure went badly and I lost a lot of blood rapidly and had severe cramping resulting in being taken to hosiptal by ambulance (requiring 4 paramedics to bring me back to full consciousness).

I was lucky that my sister was around when I took the medication as it did say you wouldnt need to be monitored when taking the medication….

Anyway, very personal, but there are real risks associated with undergoing this procedure unsupervised. What happened to me was rare but not unheard of. If i had been alone (or in an isolated area where I couldn’t be accessed by an ambulance easily), I wouldn’t be alive to tell the story today.

So, while I am a pro-choice and hope the resistance to the medication goes away, people should be aware that there ARE risks with this procedure and it should be taken as seriously as the surgical option.

I calls bulls*** on this one. Nice try, Zed.

thanks for being so sensitive….really makes dealing with the whole thing so much easier (on top of the stigma that is /already/ associated with abortion)

what happened to me can be a lesson to people with a brain and tact. easy for trolls sitting at their computer screens who have never been through anything to be so brazen and ridiculous

well done. you’re a fine example of the human race

zorro29 said :

I was unfortunately in a position where I made the choice to terminate a pregnancy (recently) and was given the option of the surgery or RU486. On the basis of information I had about the drug, I chose to use this method over the surgery (even though it wasn’t on the PBS yet and cost almost $700).

The procedure went badly and I lost a lot of blood rapidly and had severe cramping resulting in being taken to hosiptal by ambulance (requiring 4 paramedics to bring me back to full consciousness).

I was lucky that my sister was around when I took the medication as it did say you wouldnt need to be monitored when taking the medication….

Anyway, very personal, but there are real risks associated with undergoing this procedure unsupervised. What happened to me was rare but not unheard of. If i had been alone (or in an isolated area where I couldn’t be accessed by an ambulance easily), I wouldn’t be alive to tell the story today.

So, while I am a pro-choice and hope the resistance to the medication goes away, people should be aware that there ARE risks with this procedure and it should be taken as seriously as the surgical option.

I calls bulls*** on this one. Nice try, Zed.

I was unfortunately in a position where I made the choice to terminate a pregnancy (recently) and was given the option of the surgery or RU486. On the basis of information I had about the drug, I chose to use this method over the surgery (even though it wasn’t on the PBS yet and cost almost $700).

The procedure went badly and I lost a lot of blood rapidly and had severe cramping resulting in being taken to hosiptal by ambulance (requiring 4 paramedics to bring me back to full consciousness).

I was lucky that my sister was around when I took the medication as it did say you wouldnt need to be monitored when taking the medication….

Anyway, very personal, but there are real risks associated with undergoing this procedure unsupervised. What happened to me was rare but not unheard of. If i had been alone (or in an isolated area where I couldn’t be accessed by an ambulance easily), I wouldn’t be alive to tell the story today.

So, while I am a pro-choice and hope the resistance to the medication goes away, people should be aware that there ARE risks with this procedure and it should be taken as seriously as the surgical option.

Affirmative Action Man8:53 am 02 Aug 13

Zed’s fully entitled to his view about supporting RU486 or not. but why does he need to crap on & pretend to justify his view by saying it has dangers for women – where is the evidence about these dangers.

He should have the guts to say he doesn’t support it because he finds it Immoral or it goes against his Catholic faith.

Wow, that ‘news’ announcement has shocked me to the core – as I was sure that a devout Catholic boy would be pro-RU486…..

Personally, I’m pro ZedGTFO2013.

I wonder if anyone tested Simon-the-local on his knowledge of Canberra, by asking him a few questions about the city he loves, and has spent so much time in – or was that not on the SASS agenda?

HiddenDragon11:18 pm 01 Aug 13

For better or for worse, I would take this as a sincerely held view on Zed’s part. He must know that in net terms, it is more likely to cost him votes, than win them, and with voting compulsory, “mobilising the base” in the American fashion, is hardly an issue. Likewise, an attempt to present as a “conviction politician” is surely of less potential benefit here than in just about anywhere else in Australia. On the latter, if things don’t work out in the Senate race, perhaps a move to Tasmania, to pursue the Harradine constituency, might be a Plan B worth considering……

I think “Joe Dempsey” forgot to include his apparent political affiliation in his correspondence..

I don’t think Zed has ever hidden his position on the matter.. I think he has 4 or 5 kids? He is entitled to his opinion like everyone else. I might not agree with this one, but throwing rubbish like this around to try and sway voters on one issue is like pissing into the wind.

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