I see Barnaby Joyce has been involved recently on the Abortion Issue in NSW & it's generated some negative feedback online but not the negativity you'd think. Well maybe so.
Many replies online were memes, pictures of beetroot or calling him a hypocrite for some of his actions in his personal life and some even became contradictory.
One was "its not a moral issue, its a health issue so he should stay out of it" then another poster stated that such a moral issue could do with a hypocrite such as Barnaby & leave it to everyone else.
Now on that space you'd think one might begin discourse on the other as to why it IS or ISN'T a moral issue seeing that's the core basis of their respective argument, but no. Both were 'get Barnaby out of the debate', out of the issue for different reasons...so despite being highly contradictory. I suspect although both find the others concept UNTRUE the truth is not of any importance if its "Get Barnaby"
As for it being a health or moral issue, decide for yourself the problem is due to popularism people have gone after a person or personality not after rigorous objective discourse. The main problem is this, the Bill has been deemed by some as being a ram through process without sufficient public consultation and being rammed through as it has there's been no ability to apply an Amendments.
That, no matter what the legislation is just happens to be bad government.
Some have claimed its able to allow "gender based abortion" where parent or parents could terminate a baby if it's gender isn't that which is preferred by the parent/s and made late term abortions possible.
Others have claimed it does not that it's only regarding 22 weeks and earlier. That Barnaby was wrong in mentioning pregnancies that were 26 weeks or more, that he was lying, that he should stay out.
Again this is popularism driven, it is not "Facts Not Feelings"
The proposed legislation makes it very possible to have an abortion at 26 weeks, you just need 2 doctors to say yes. This means yes with the effort of Doctor Shopping a person can actually terminate an unborn baby at 26 weeks and the reason remains private between the doctor and patient.
So Barnaby has raised his head above the trench line and taken a position. Whether I find him agreeable or not is irrelevant. Whether I like what he says or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is "Facts Not Feelings" - Is he correct in what he's saying.
Now several people have claimed this is issue is being fought against by the Religious Hard Right, or the Religious Right with more than a few stating we must maintain a separation of church & state. Thing is lets apply the "Facts Not Feelings" filter and look again.
We have separation of Church & State now & in this country we always have. Australia is not, nor has it ever been a Theocracy or Caliphate. Every single person in this country whether they're Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Humanist, Agnostic, Nihilist, Utilitarian Atheist or member of the Church of Klingon, everyone has a Worldview. Lets repeat that with context.
1) Everyone without exception has a worldview
2) Our Parliaments and Government Instruments are Secular
3) No one should be exempt from our parliament, our government, our democratic process on the basis of their worldview.
4) The Church is not running the show, not any religion.
Barnaby's view can be accepted or rejected, you have a choice. He's a member of Parliament & if he has a strong view he can take a view, raise his voice & if he chooses make a stand that might help or hurt him politically. I'd rather any MP came out with their view, even if I opposed it, rather than staying silent because they've been told to by some electors or they're thinking about their safest bet of re-election.
Some have entered the fray because they are decidedly ANTI Barnaby Joyce...and in a free country that's their choice, their prerogative. Point is you can have your own stance, your own position, your own view but you cannot have your own facts and your own truth.
If its a moral issue and someone has no ability to comment because of immoral actions in their own life in the past you firstly have to declare which moral standard you're using to make the moral judgement. Secondly you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who is morally perfect so in order to keep one person out, you'll be denying anyone including yourself the moral authority to comment as well.
All this is a bit immaterial when you realise there is such a vastly differing accepted thought on WHEN life begins. For some its at the fertilisation of the egg, for others its an arbitrary time & others its exiting the womb & being slapped on the butt. For some, its when awareness begins and not before. That's the Utilitarian view which is utterly dangerous which then means as soon as someone enters a coma, their can be terminated.
Worldviews guide people but at the end of the day Abortion isn't about health unless it threatens the mothers and/or child's life. That's health issue.
Its not a form of contraception & should be seen as that.
Then there's the heavy version, a termination is the ending, the switching the switch off, its snuffing out the candle, its prevent an unborn from becoming born. You cannot turn it off if it isn't turn on.
When does life start and when are the normally afforded human rights afforded? When personhood is attained? When is that? Many deliberately avoid that altogether.
A golden child of the left who is also a well known ex US President said life begins at conception and seems so when you consider this...
conception
/kənˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/
noun
- the action of conceiving a child or of one being conceived
contraception
/kɒntrəˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/
noun
- the deliberate use of artificial methods or other techniques to prevent pregnancy as a consequence of sexual intercourse. The major forms of artificial contraception are: barrier methods, of which the commonest is the condom or sheath; the contraceptive pill, which contains synthetic sex hormones which prevent ovulation in the female; intrauterine devices, such as the coil, which prevent the fertilized ovum from implanting in the uterus; and male or female sterilization.
Note the difference, "Con" and "Contra" are all preventing pregnancy, not terminating one.
And all of this has nothing to do with whether or not you hate Barnaby Joyce or love him.
Its Facts not Feelings and it will draw savage criticism or personal attacks often freely without thought, fact or regard for proper discourse and critical thinking.
Support or oppose whatever position you like on whatever subject or issue arises. Just avoid being intellectually corrupt or deliberately fact free in order to win your point.
Its not about Barnaby. Never was, never will be. Support whichever view or position you like, but the church & state argument doesn't hold up. Morality of any person on either side isn't applicable. Only facts matter.
Facts not Feelings.
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