I've been a bit confounded by a few reports this week of more footy boys being outed to the media by ex-girlfriends. Of course, I know nothing more than has been reported, so I may be getting the wrong end of the stick, however, I'm expressing my opinion based on what was reported.
They've been a couple of exes who've been quoted as saying, 'he made me have an abortion,' or similar words and using this as a reason for exposing so much more about their relationship.
This gets me. It's 2017. The feminist movement is alive and well. Abortion is a medical practice in Australia that is not illegal (subject to conditions). It is estimated that 1 in 4 women have had an abortion (data from page 10 of this booklet, downloadable here), so it's not an uncommon event. Australia has a social welfare system, good childcare systems, and reasonably good working conditions for parents (compared with many other countries). Illegitimate children are seen as no different to children in single parent families and there are a lot of those around (compared to when I was growing up).
How do men MAKE women have an abortion?
Sure he may have wanted that. Pushed for that. Paid for it even.
But a woman carries the child and since it's her body, ultimately makes that choice.
Sure, the guy can have a say, if the woman chooses to let him know, but he can never gag and tie her up to deliver her to a hospital for an unwanted abortion. That does not happen in Australia.
So each of these women have made a choice at the time, in the circumstances they found themselves in. It's a choice that, I hope, was freely made with support of information and counselling. If you need information, visit Family Planning here or download a fact sheet here.
Abortions can have severe emotional impacts. I'm afraid that the media has used this against these women.
You can be angry at the guy. You can regret the decision afterwards. You can hate the choice you've made. You can feel anything you want to.
But using it as an excuse for revenge doesn't sit well with me. And the fact that the media has jumped all over it and blown it into a huge story with massive coverage sits even worse with me.
Does the media's overblown drama of private matters annoy you too?
They've been a couple of exes who've been quoted as saying, 'he made me have an abortion,' or similar words and using this as a reason for exposing so much more about their relationship.
This gets me. It's 2017. The feminist movement is alive and well. Abortion is a medical practice in Australia that is not illegal (subject to conditions). It is estimated that 1 in 4 women have had an abortion (data from page 10 of this booklet, downloadable here), so it's not an uncommon event. Australia has a social welfare system, good childcare systems, and reasonably good working conditions for parents (compared with many other countries). Illegitimate children are seen as no different to children in single parent families and there are a lot of those around (compared to when I was growing up).
How do men MAKE women have an abortion?
Sure he may have wanted that. Pushed for that. Paid for it even.
But a woman carries the child and since it's her body, ultimately makes that choice.
Sure, the guy can have a say, if the woman chooses to let him know, but he can never gag and tie her up to deliver her to a hospital for an unwanted abortion. That does not happen in Australia.
So each of these women have made a choice at the time, in the circumstances they found themselves in. It's a choice that, I hope, was freely made with support of information and counselling. If you need information, visit Family Planning here or download a fact sheet here.
Abortions can have severe emotional impacts. I'm afraid that the media has used this against these women.
You can be angry at the guy. You can regret the decision afterwards. You can hate the choice you've made. You can feel anything you want to.
But using it as an excuse for revenge doesn't sit well with me. And the fact that the media has jumped all over it and blown it into a huge story with massive coverage sits even worse with me.
Does the media's overblown drama of private matters annoy you too?