Needless to say, I was absolutely disgusted and horrified by most of the points on this document. I know that most Australians, and a LOT of Christians and other religious people would agree with me.
But if you're finding it difficult to get past the decorative language, here's an interpretation:
Now lets take a good look at this, shall we?
1)Not all Australians, or even all politicians are Christian, so to force them to pray before each session of parliament would be a violation of religious freedom. (Interesting to note: The percentage of Australians who identify as Christian has dropped dramatically. In 1901 the number was 96.1%, while in 2001 it was only 68%. In contrast, those who did not adhere to any religion increased from 0.4% to 25.5%. See link 1 below.)
2)Again, not all Australians are Christian, so to force "Christian Values" into schools (read: indoctrinating children into the Christian religion) is again a violation of religious freedom. If parents want their children to be taught about Christianity in schools, then they have the option to send their children to Christian schools.
4&5) Someone on Facebook today made the comment:
You tried to tell us the Jews were bad, we didn't believe you. You tried to tell us that blacks were scary, we didn't believe you. Now, it's gays, and we're supposed to be scared of them too. Well, we don't fucking believe you.
I think that pretty much sums it up. Right now, "teh ghays" are the scapegoats for all that is wrong in the world. They're the ones who need to be 'saved and brought to God' - just like the slaves in America, and Indigenous people the world over.
But the simple truth is this: the facts DON'T SUPPORT the claims. I'm yet to see a study that claims that heterosexual parents are the only good parents. I've had many people claim this, but no one has been able to produce the evidence. However, time and time again, we have been presented with the proof that children raised by same sex parents, single parents, adoptive parents, do just fine. See 2 below for the most recent article on the subject.
6&7) Are we ever going to finish with this debate? Legalised abortions actually save lives - the lives of women who, were it not legal, would be forced to turn to unsafe back-alley clinics. The lives of women who, due to medical reasons, cannot carry or raise a child. The lives of women who, due to emotional and mental health reasons, cannot carry or raise a child. The souls of children who, if born, would live lives of abuse, neglect, and hell.
How about we go to the source of the problem, and put more money into contraceptions?
Oh wait, I forgot. That's just as bad as abortion, isn't it? Well I guess you should start arresting guys for masturbating as well - all that sperm, millions of tiny little babies murdered...
As for stem cell research - what about the millions of already born who are dying every day from painful and debilitating disease? What if it was your daughter dying from leukemia, or your wife suffering with MS? Would you be able to accept that as the will of God?
8) This one really floored me. Protecting the elderly? PROTECTING the elderly?
Lets take a look at this for a moment:
eu·tha·na·sia (yth-nzh, -zh-)
n.
The act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment.
[Greek euthanasi, a good death : eu-, eu- + thanatos, death.]
Soooo.... an elderly person is sufferring from a terminal illness. You want to protect them by taking away their right to choose, denying them dignity, and prolonging their pain?
...someone help me, am I understanding this wrong? Because it's making no sense to me whatsoever.
Oh, and by the way, it's not only elderly people who suffer from terminal illnesses. My girlfriend has worked in palliative care, and people of all ages enter that ward, never to walk out again.
9,10,&11) If you don't like porn... don't buy it. Don't watch it. If you don't want your children to see porn, then don't let them. Don't blame the government if you're too lazy to a) watch your kids, and b) put appropriate filters on their internet usage.
12) It's a sad fact, but for some women, selling themselves is their only option. But closing down brothels is not going to stop a thing. If you want the women out of there, then HELP THEM. Give them access to services and education.
And by the way, brothels do not necessarily exploit women. I've met some who enjoy their jobs and actually feel empowered by it.
13,14&15) This is really just a continuation of 4 & 5. Again, there is absolutely no evidence to support the misconception that gays and lesbians make bad parents. NONE.
As for surrogacy, I really don't see the issue. If the woman has no genetic link to the baby, then how is her using her ability to gift another person/couple with a child an issue of "biological birthright"?
Here's an interesting fact: Australian law states that if a married heterosexual couple use donor sperm to get pregnant, the male of the couple is STILL LISTED as the BIOLOGICAL FATHER on the BIRTH CERTIFICATE. Why not complain about this, then? Surely that is an issue of biological birthright that needs to be protected - don't you worry that the child will not know it's sperm donor?
For those of you wanting to know more about surrogacy, check out this blog by a friend of mine: Ethical Surrogacy
16&17) "Discriminatory anti-discrimination"... oh how I laughed. Roughly translated, these points mean "We're worried that soon we won't be allowed to discriminate against fags and dykes and athiests. They're taking our rights away!!!"
Right now, if I were to work in a religious school, that school could fire me for being in a same sex relationship. Doesn't matter if I'm the best teacher who ever lived; the law allows them to do it.
So remind me again, who's being discriminated against...?
18,19&20) Again, forgetting the source of the problems. These are quick-fix solutions that will do nothing in the long run but make things worse. But hey, if it's where we can't see it, then it's not a problem, right?...right?
21) Considering that most religious politicians deny climate change, I'm suprised this even made it on the list. On a related note, this has got to be one of the funniest facebook groups ever: Steve Fielding is not real
1) ABS: Year Book Australia 2006
2) How does the gender of parents matter?
