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Bioethics, culture of life, culture
of death
"Hypocrisy
in Parliament" Alan Baker, Online Opinion, 14
February 2006
The RU486 debate in parliament evaded the issue of abortion at
a time when new surveys show that Australians oppose abortion.
"Abortion
drug's risks a turn-off" Fr John Fleming, The
Australian, 14 February 2006
On RU486, younger women have more doubts than our women senators.
"Bigorty
makes a rebirth" Christopher Pearson, The
Weekend Australian, 11-12 February 2006
Sectarian and anti-religious bigotry was rife during the abortion pill
debate, as epitomised by Greens senator Kerry Nettle's slur, "Mr
Abbot, Get your rosaries off my ovaries."
"What
Australians really think about abortion" Australian
Federation of Right to Life Associations, AFRTLA web site, 5 February
2006
A recent survey of 1200 people shows nuanced insights that Australians
effectively oppose abortion.
"4000
submissions for abortion pill inquiry" Peter
Westmore, Newsweekly, 4 February 2006
Of the 4000 submission to the senate inquiry on the abortion pill, only
100 were in favour of the drug. Women and women's groups were prominent
in submissions against the drug. The article also highlights an ABC
Quantum survey which revealed that only 33% of women supported the
drug's introduction and major lack of understanding about the drug.
"Lockhardt
Review supports strong regulation of research involving human embryos"
Media release, Federal Govt, 19 December
2005
"The
cost of 'choice': Women evaluate the impact of abortion" Bill Muehlenberg, Newsweekly (book review), 19 November
2005
Accounts by 12 women ranging from lawyers, doctors, academics,
political scientists and ethicists, who evaulate the health and social
risks of abortion. It exposes the fact that the original American
feminist movement was in fact - pro-life.
"Umbilical
stem cell breakthrough" Christine White, Stem
Cell News, 19 August 2005
A new type of cell discovered in umbilical-cord blood promises to
overcome ethical and legal dilemmas surrounding the use of embryonic
stem cells.
"Women
not helped when abortion facts are missing" Katrina
George, The Melbourne Age,
16 August 2005
"Whitewashing the disturbing realities of abortion does women no
favours. Tell us the truth and give us real choice".
"Stem
cells and babies" Maureen Condic, First Things,
August/September 2005
Neurobiologist Maureen Condic summaries a technique for generating
embryonic stem cells from artificially created biological
artefacts. ANT-OAR combines two alternative proposals discussed
by a recent white paper from The President's Council on Bioethics (see
below). If successful, ANT-OAR would spell the end for the need of
embryos to harvest stem celll lines.
"A
way forward on stem cells" Leon Kass,
Washington Post, 12 July 2005
Despite breakthroughs in medical cures embryonic stem cells remain
attractive to scientists because of their capacity to produce all cell
types of the developing body (all embryonic stem cells as well as inner
cell mass cells of the blastocyst, or an embryo of 100-200 cells, are
pluripotent). Leon Kass sheds light on four proposals for generating
embryonic stem cells without destruction of embryos. These proposals
were reported in a white
paper of The President's Council on Bioethics
in may 2005.
Marriage
"Bonus
cash to keep couples out of court" Patricia
Karvelas, The
Australian, 6 October 2005
The Howard Government plans to provide bonuses to counselling centres
for family disputes commesnurate to their success in keeping
couples away from the courts.
"The
bad divorce" Elizabeth Marquardt, First Things
(book review), February 2005
Reflections on the effects of divorce on children.
Parenting and child-care
"Whatever
has gone wrong with sex?" Kerry Allen,
Newsweekly, 18 February 2006
Sexual intergity is little valued today thanks to the triumph of moral
relativism.
"Research
rules a mother and child reunion" Janet
Albrechsen,
The
Australian, 5 October 2005
A reflection on Anne Manne's recent book "Motherhood: How We Should
Care for Our Children: "Whereas old-style feminism is wedded to the
cold, professional language of care and care-givers when talking about
children - because this dovetails perfectly with the path of the
working woman - Manne says children need love".
"Our
backyard" Editorial,
The
Weekend Australian, 1-2 October 2005
Research is showing, contrary ot the media and left-wing commentariat,
that Australians prefer the traditional family structure. A study by
the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA)
reveals that women do not favour working more, prefering part-time work
and men as breadwinners.
"Real
baby bonus found: a rising birthrate to keep us young" Mark Metherell, Sydney Morning Herald, 28 September 2005
According to leading demographic researcher, Professor Peter McDonald,
last year's increases in baby bonus are stimulating birthrates.
"It
takes a parent" Betsy Hart, National Online
Review (interview), 21 September 2005
Mother of four, Betsy Hart, takes on the parent culture in America
where she says parents are "pushovers".
"I
just want my Mummy" Anne Manne, The Australian,
3 September 2005
An extract from Anne Manne's recently book released book "Motherhood:
How We Should Care for Our Children". Citing longitudinal studies,
Manne argues that the trend to put very young children in long-day care
is leaving us with a behavioural time bomb. (Manne is wife of left-wing
commentator Prof. Robert
Manne).
Education
"The
bard unmoored" Editorial, The Australian, 17
April 2006
Elite Sydney Church of England Grammer Darlinghurst School uses
Shakespeare for postmodernist race and gender warfare.
"Church
vilified in classrooms" Kevin Donnelly, The
Australian, 17
April 2006
The textbook SOSE Alive 2 (Jacaranda Press) ridicules the Catholic
faith.
"Marks
for wrong maths calculations"Alana
Buckley-Carr, The Australian, 22 March 2006
Maths students will no longer be penalised for using inaccurate
calculations under WA's outcome-based education.
"Why
our
children don't know history" Kevin Donnelly,
Newsweekly, 18 February 2006
Left-wing ideologues and postmodernists have hijacked the teaching of
history.
"Report
of the National Inquiry into the Teaching of Reading" Brendan Nelson, Media Release Dept of Education, Science
and Training, 8 December 2005
Following the federal government's findings of serious flaws in the
teaching of reading (the whole-language approach), well-proven reading
techniques (based on phonitics) will be restored
and the ability of teachers to deliver these will be addressed through
teacher training. The report (Teaching Reading) described the current
state of early childhood and kindergarten education as being "a mess".
As recommended by the report, 5 year olds will be tested
twice a year to improve their abilities.
"Vouchers
for schools - giving parents choice" Kevin
Donnelly,
Newsweekly, 3 December 2005
More choice of access to government and non-government through
education will help the disadvantaged.
"Cardinal
Pell on the dictatorship of relativism" Cardinal
George Pell, AD2000, November 2005
Edited version of Cardinal Pell's address to the National Press
Club, Canberra, on 21 September 2005.
"Mathematics
at mercy of trendy educators" Kevin Donnelly,
Newsweekly, 5 November 2005
The report, "Comparison of Year 12 Pre-Tertiary Mathematics
Subjects in Australia 2004-05", identifies problems with the rigour and
comparability of mathematics courses across Australia.
Medical and health
"Dark
side of a wonder drug'" Clara Pirani, The
Australian, 28 March 2006
Not only do prescribed drugs for hyperactivity in children have
frightening side effects, they may not be necessary.
"ADHD
drugs warning'" Clara Pirani, The Weekend
Australian, 11-12 Fenruary 2006
Drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD) disorder may
be required to carry the most serious type of warning on their labels
after health regulators found the medications might cause heart attacks
and strokes. A US Food & Drug Administration is investigating
whether ADHD drugs, including Ritalin, were linked to the deaths of 25
people (19 children) between 1999 and 2003. Australia's
Therapeutic Goods Administration has said it will review the advice of
the FDA committee. In Australia, the number of ADHD prescriptions has
sky-rocketed under the PBS: 523 in August 2005, 3938 in October andf
5713 in December.
"Using
common sense, not condom sense'" Kerry Allen,
Newsweekly, 8 October 2005
Sister Miriam Duggan has succeeded where the UN and international aid
agencies have failed in combating Africa's HIV/AIDS epidemic. She
recently toured Australia as a guest of the Australian Family
Association and spoke to Dr Kerry Allen.
"Mom's
IQ gets boost from baby'" Erica Noonan,
Cron.com, 12 August 2005
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Katherine Ellison draws on research
results to show that having babies makes mothers cognitively sharper.
Society and culture
"Household
debt on the rise for Australians" Australia
Welfare Report 2005
Major findings: well-being of Australians is generally good with
relatively high work participation (63.9%), good health and better life
expectancy than that of comparable nations and most feeling they can
receive support when they need it (90%). However, lower-income
Australians are struggling to pay rent and mortgague. Household income
as a proportion of disposable income has rise due to increasing
childcare costs and heavy borrowing for home loans.
"It's not
a
Blokesworld after all" Melinda Tankard Reist,
Online Opinion, 22 September 2005
A reflection on Blokesworld Live, a perve-fest which was to be held in
Brisbane in early September 2005, before the Brisbane City Council shut
it down.
"Against
eternal youth" Fredrica Mathewes-Green, First
Things,
September 2005
Ever noticed that the actors of movies in the 30s and 40s carried
themselves as adults by contrast with the Brad Pitts and Renee
Witherspoons? Who's to blame for our extended tenures of adolesences,
which we increasingly carry into middle old age? The baby boomers.
"Playgrounds
of self" Christine Rosen, The New Atlantis,
Summer 2005 issue (US)
An in-depth analysis on the cult of video games.
Tax and benefits
Media / Internet
"Spam
has bolted, despite Gates" Bruce McCabe,
The IT Australian, 28 February 2005
The incidence of spam email has lowered since the introduction of
Australia's anti-spamming laws.
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