rioters bloc
19th February 2006, 11:22
The Advertiser (http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,18191176%255E911,00.html)
Abbott vow to fight on
Glenn Milne
19feb06
UNDETERRED by his loss over RU486, Health Minister Tony Abbott is determined to continue his anti-abortion crusade.
Mr Abbott has now put a plan to Cabinet which aims to bypass all counselling services to women now provided by abortion clinics.
The plan, worth more than $50 million, would result in the Federal Government directly funding church-affiliated groups such as Lifeline (an arm of the Wesley Mission) and Anglicare to provide alternative counselling.
Mr Abbott believes counselling offered by abortion clinics is fundamentally predisposed towards going ahead with termination.
He has argued in Cabinet that professional advice should be at arm's length from abortion providers.
ABC (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1573345.htm)
Opposition questions church pregnancy counselling plan
The Federal Opposition is wary of an idea by Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott to fund church groups to provide counselling to pregnant women thinking of an abortion.
Mr Abbott is expected to take the plan to Cabinet this week as part of a range of measures to reduce Australia's abortion rate.
He is seeking Cabinet's approval for a $50 million plan involving a 24 hour pregnancy support hotline and Medicare rebates for counselling.
Opposition health spokeswoman Julia Gillard says she hopes the Minister is not making health policy to suit his wounded pride over the RU486 matter.
"I hope that we're not going to see health policy made to salvage Tony Abbott's wounded pride, rather than for good reasons," she said.
She says Labor would support a Medicare rebate for counselling, provided it was made available on a more broader basis.
"I'm not suggesting churches would manipulate it but I'm saying that not every woman who is dealing with the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy would choose to be counselled by a church," she said.
"She might choose to be counselled by someone else and she should be able to make that choice."
Mr Abbott says he is confident church organisations are more than capable of providing professional counselling services for women considering an abortion.
He says a number of church groups including Anglicare have demonstrated their capacity to give professional health services over many years.
He says there is widespread support for reducing the abortion rate claiming even members of Parliament, who voted in favour of the controversial bill to give the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) control over the abortion pill RU486, think there are too many abortions in Australia.
Democrats
Meanwhile the Australian Democrats have called for agencies which stand to receive federal funding to provide pregnancy counselling services to be accredited to ensure they offer unbiased information.
Democrats Senator Natasha Stott Despoja hopes church-based groups are open about their views on abortion if they are to be funded for providing the service.
"It would be good to have a national accreditation system to determine how government funding is spent in this area and to make sure that women are getting the best services preferably unbiased services and those services that look after the needs of women first and foremost," she said.
Abbott vow to fight on
Glenn Milne
19feb06
UNDETERRED by his loss over RU486, Health Minister Tony Abbott is determined to continue his anti-abortion crusade.
Mr Abbott has now put a plan to Cabinet which aims to bypass all counselling services to women now provided by abortion clinics.
The plan, worth more than $50 million, would result in the Federal Government directly funding church-affiliated groups such as Lifeline (an arm of the Wesley Mission) and Anglicare to provide alternative counselling.
Mr Abbott believes counselling offered by abortion clinics is fundamentally predisposed towards going ahead with termination.
He has argued in Cabinet that professional advice should be at arm's length from abortion providers.
ABC (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1573345.htm)
Opposition questions church pregnancy counselling plan
The Federal Opposition is wary of an idea by Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott to fund church groups to provide counselling to pregnant women thinking of an abortion.
Mr Abbott is expected to take the plan to Cabinet this week as part of a range of measures to reduce Australia's abortion rate.
He is seeking Cabinet's approval for a $50 million plan involving a 24 hour pregnancy support hotline and Medicare rebates for counselling.
Opposition health spokeswoman Julia Gillard says she hopes the Minister is not making health policy to suit his wounded pride over the RU486 matter.
"I hope that we're not going to see health policy made to salvage Tony Abbott's wounded pride, rather than for good reasons," she said.
She says Labor would support a Medicare rebate for counselling, provided it was made available on a more broader basis.
"I'm not suggesting churches would manipulate it but I'm saying that not every woman who is dealing with the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy would choose to be counselled by a church," she said.
"She might choose to be counselled by someone else and she should be able to make that choice."
Mr Abbott says he is confident church organisations are more than capable of providing professional counselling services for women considering an abortion.
He says a number of church groups including Anglicare have demonstrated their capacity to give professional health services over many years.
He says there is widespread support for reducing the abortion rate claiming even members of Parliament, who voted in favour of the controversial bill to give the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) control over the abortion pill RU486, think there are too many abortions in Australia.
Democrats
Meanwhile the Australian Democrats have called for agencies which stand to receive federal funding to provide pregnancy counselling services to be accredited to ensure they offer unbiased information.
Democrats Senator Natasha Stott Despoja hopes church-based groups are open about their views on abortion if they are to be funded for providing the service.
"It would be good to have a national accreditation system to determine how government funding is spent in this area and to make sure that women are getting the best services preferably unbiased services and those services that look after the needs of women first and foremost," she said.