Paid Maternity Leave

I don't care, call it what you like – shortage of water, shortage of food, shortage of land, shortage of clean air, shortage of clean seas and seafood, shortage of rain forests, etc.

Whichever way you look at it, and whatever label you put on it, there are simply too many human beings on this planet. 

Really, I can’t see this policy as sustainable, I think eventually we will need to give it up. It is just a conservative political tool anyway. Keep growing the population, so you can keep growing production, so the few of us with all the power can continue to become richer and richer. You know, the whacky conservative mantra.

We don't need to pay anyone to have children, we already have too many of them. And while western society gets drunk on its own obesity, already a third of the children we have on this planet are starving and dying.

I think eventually, we will have to say no to paid maternity leave. We’ll have to say, if you want to have children, you have them, but pay for them yourselves. One day when we take climate change seriously. 

So it's Tuesday

Gosh I have a sore back, which is unusual for me, I never have back aches. Shane says it's from too much lying around, which is probably true. Even yesterday, when I staggered back from Cocos, after lunch, it was time to give in, brush off the Will & Grace cd's and just stop.

I don't think I want to "party" for two nights in a row any more. It takes too long to feel normal again. What did I used to do? Go to work ratty, I guess.

So, it's Tuesday, huh? Tuesday? And feeling almost normal, again. Tuesday?

Friday night was around the pool table. He-who-shall-never-be-mentioned (I guess, if I keep mentioning him, it goes against his express wishes, even if I call him something else) was there.

My ex was there, which was one of the reasons I was out. The first time I headed over to him he was getting his cock sucked by some guy, at one of the bar tables. It was a momentary awkward moment, I kind of reversed up and spun my back, all in the one movement. Yeah, good on ya, I thought. He was really drunk.

Bruno was there, with his usual boy-band posse. Where the hell does he get them from? I reckon he has some kind of gay-boy creation machine. All perfectly put together, all handsome, all packing their jeans, all young, all really friendly and personable. He always has two or three in tow.

Of course, Bruno has a big carrot he dangles - no, not that kind of carrot... although, from all reports, Maltese. Let's just say, he is a friend of Guidos.

Saturday night we stayed in and smoked the peace pipe. Sebastian and his boyfriend Nick came over after restaurants closed. Sebastian with all the jokes, jokes for every thing and Nick, with... Ah Nick. Drool, slobber, slobber.

It's wrong to hit on friends boyfriends... isn't it? Tell me again. Yes, it's wrong, very wrong. Now, tell me why, again?

It's funny, some time back, when David (and I) had made my case to Luksmir for my Nick to appear and the very next day (Sebastian's) Nick turned up for one reason or another, kind of out of the blue. I said to David, Nick's here. He just agreed, not putting the two together. I, naturally, took it as a sign.

Nick's perfect for me. He looks, a little, like my ex Lauri, when we first started going out. He looks Italian, but, apparently, is Greek. He's cute, smart, sexy, funny... perfect really.

One day you will be mine! Bwahahahaha!

Then, after that, it got to 4am to bed, midday awake, the days passed, the nights were long. Sunday was crash and burn. Monday was, a little groggy granny dear. The shift work schedule taking it's toll until here I am, Tuesday, my mind has re-entered my body... finally. Lovely.

Now, I have to go take my mum shopping. She'll ask me if I had a nice time in the country.

"Yes mum, very relaxing."

 

Good Morning World

I love sitting in the morning sun with my coffee and my cigarette and, more often than not, Missy curled by my feet. It's like the pit stop between wake and sleep. I watch my cigarette's smoke float up blue, in the morning air. When the wind isn't blowing, it builds wrought iron lattice work to the sky. When the wind is blowing, it streams off like blown from a turbine engine.

I curl my toes to warm them on the cold paving. I close my eyes and watch the sun dance inside my eyelids, orange.

Paul Newman making smoking look sexy

Paul Newman's blue eyes

Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward

Paul Newman

Boys Night Out

We were all out together, celebrating a friend’s birthday. Max was there with Stella and George - fraternal twins Max has under his spell, you gotta hand it to him. Even, he who shall not be mentioned, was there.

We’d danced. We’d drank. We’d laughed. At around 2am, I wanted to leave. The others had left earlier, somehow I felt free as a bird - what are those initials, N.W.M. So I stayed out late on a puff of T, maybe a few puffs and I picked up a drunk straight boy, Andre, a friend in my group of friends. I had a vague thought about Club 80, but, kind of knew, once I got home and had a j, I wouldn’t venture out again.

Andre and I knew each other kind of well. It was only because of locality that we were thrust together; he lives in Carlton, we decided to share a taxi.

Andre’s cute, sexy really. Strawberry blond hair, blue eyes, athletic, lean, muscular. He had on an akubra and a black singlet. His face was in shadow under the peak, as he smiled at me bleary-eyed in the back of the taxi. We’d all done d's, we were messy.

He used to smile when I checked out his sizeable bulge on the dance floor; dance away, float on the music. Turn back and smile despite himself. He's got solid thighs that fame a bulge worth looking at.

“What are you like, drunk,” I said. He looked so funny, eyes half closed, grinning, flushed red, sweating.

He laughed. “I become a bit of an exhibitionist,” he said. He’d misunderstood the question, but the answer was interesting.

Andre was one of the fringe straight boys of our group. He’d started off as a school buddy of one of the gay boys. He screwed one of our girlfriends’, for a time. A Greek girl, before she headed back to the homeland for good, never to be seen again. They’d had an on again off again relationship, which lasted long enough for Andre to endear himself into our group without too many problems.

He looked sexy.

“Do drugs make you horny?” I asked. My confidence was up.

He smiled self consciously and pushed down on his lap, subconsciously, and laughed. “All I need now is a joint and he’d be talking to me.” He looked down at his crotch, then looked back at me and raised his eyebrows, as if to say, you know what I mean.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ve got pot.” Sexy, I thought

"Sweet."

The taxi stopped in front of my place. Andre gave the taxi driver a bunch of notes and then got out with me. The taxi drove away.

I looked through my keys, more by feel than by sight. It was dark.

"So, is this what it's like?"

"What?" I said. I flicked the keys through my fingers, not really concentrating on Andre.

"To pick up another guy," said Andre. "Take him home. Get to his place."

I found my key.

"The anticipation?"

I headed to the gate. "Usually, we'd be stealing looks at each other, at this stage." I looked back "You know, make sure you picked right." I took him in with a long gaze. "Weren't too drunk, too out of it, made do." My face creased into a smile. The night air was cool. "Point of no return."

I pushed the gate, it squeaked. The hibiscus stroked the top of my head. "Duck," I whispered. The sensor light didn't come on. Must have been turned off. Most likely by me. I stepped to the door and dropped my keys, just as I went to push them into the lock.

"Fuck," I said.

"Dropped your keys, mate?" Andre slurred. Then he giggled that drunk boy giggle.

My fingers caught the ring of metal, by my foot. The front door key has a plastic trim thing, just for such occasions. It's fatter and curvy. I held it tight between my fingers.

Just one lamp was on, the orange rock lamp, giving the room a dark, confined feel. The fire was still burning. I threw some more wood on, some smaller bits to make it burn. I got the mull bowl and sat down with it on the big couch. Andre was unsteady on his feet. He stood in front of the fire, naturally.

"So the big gay house, hey?" Andre took his hat off, his hair was messy, longer than it normally was. It still looked good on him. He chewed gum seriously.

"The big gay house," he said.

I reached for cigarettes. "I haven't heard it referred to as that for a while." The (ex)party house still had a reputation in some parts. I licked the edge of the cigarette and it fell apart.

"All you guys were out tonight," said Andre. "That's a rarity."

"David wasn't there."

Rarity? I didn't think that was true. I pulled a bud from the bag. Shane was out more, than David or me, but we were out often enough. "All toey, I guess," I said. I looked up, as I started to grind the mix, gazing at Andre's jeans. Sliding my eyes to Andre's face.

He smiled, as he spoke, "Shane picked up."

"No, ate out." I smiled back. The mix was done, I put the grinder down.

"Is Shane home?"

"Maybe?" I picked one of Shane's old business cards and the red scissors. "He said he wasn't coming home. Staying with a friend." I cut a narrow strip from the end of the business card. "Maybe?" I rolled the thin strip of card up and slid it into the rolling machine.

Andre's eyes were half closed. He bounced on the balls of his feet. Click. A perfectly cylindrical joint rolled out of the top of the rolling machine.

"Sure wish I picked up, speaking of toey." He rubbed his hands down his thighs, as though he was too nervous to rub anywhere else.

I handed him the joint in one hand and a lighter in the other.

"I've got porn. David's not home. I can tell you he'd love you to jack off in his bed."

Andre lit the joint and inhaled deeply. He inhaled a second time. Held it. Looked in pain. Breathed in again.

"That's the best offer." He exhaled in a balloon of smoke. "I've had all night," said Andre. He sucked on the joint twice more, before he handed it back to me.

He rotated in front of the fire. Nice chunky arse, his jeans fitted him well. Well defined crack up the middle. A hand for each.

"Relieve the tension," I said.

Both his hands slid in front of him.

"Guys who don't jack off are like girls on the rag. They get moody and bitchy," said Andre. "I know I do, if it's been a few days."

He squeezed his shoulders together and pushed his arms straight gown in front of him and stretched his back.

"Gay or straight," I said.

He rotated back to face me, clasping his hands behind him.

"If you say you don't wank you're a liar," said Andre. "A fool if you say that you do."

I could see his cock out to the left in the front of his pants. I realised I was staring, I shook my head and looked away.

I looked up and took his gaze. "Why? Because somebody will want to touch it?" I said.

He slid his hands in front of him, intertwining his fingers.

"I can't imagine any dude who does not masturbate." He pushed his hands against the front of his jeans. "I don't care how much sex they get, guys are still going do it, cause there is something special about jerking off." said Andre. "You can totally control the pleasure, you can fantasize about that dude you saw at the mall, or that babe you want to fuck, whatever. It's just a major part of EVERY guys sex life." He smiled. "I mean why the hell would anyone deprive themselves of man's greatest pastime?"

He had a big, sexy grin on his face. I was getting turned on. I wanted to say, go on then... and then just gaze as he talked.

I handed him the joint. I'm sure the bulge in his pants was getting bigger, as he took the joint. It was probably my messed up imagination. He put the smoke to his lips and looked down his front, as he inhaled. He leant back against the mantle piece and exhaled the smoke towards the ceiling. I lay back in the couch. His jeans were definitely fuller. He watched me gazing at his crotch, with that flushed, expectant look on his face. Fixed gaze, just his lips sucking.

He handed the joint back to me.

"So, what now?" he said in a husky voice. He cleared his throat, holding my gaze.

I shrugged, lazily. A question that didn't, really, need to be answered.

He held the joint out to me. I took it and dragged hard and lay my head against the back of the couch. "I dunno. I'm fucked."

My neck felt good, all of a sudden, with the weight of my head taken away. My neck suddenly felt like it had been seized up, for hours. I stretched it from side to side. I could have just closed my eyes and drifted off. My peripheral vision had faded to black. Just the lamp and the open fire, the light in the room was yellow. I was floating.

"I guess you want to have sex with me," slurred Andre. "Do you want to have sex?"

I nearly laughed. Kind of a nervous reaction. I stuffed the joint into my mouth and drew in long and hard, as nervous eyes darted from me to the floor, where they stayed. I gave myself time to digest what Andre had just said. I didn't know what to say. It seemed like such a cliché. My eyesight was blurred. There were three Andre's lined up neatly across the mantelpiece, all gazing down at their feet. Of course, there were three mantelpieces and three walls and three rooms... more worlds. I shook my head. I closed my eyes. I must have imagined it, surely? Did he really say that?

There was silence until Andre spoke of how he loved the music, Costes, la suite.

We did more, Andre had them. It was my suggestion. We crashed soon after, we didn't need them. Piggy and piggy.

Three-Ways

I've been on the internet, trying to pick up a boy for a quicky. Why not? David's gone to Sydney for Dog Pen Pound Megafist, or whatever the hell it's called? It turns my stomach, just quietly. I can't even watch it as porn. Just not my thing.

What ever happened to kissing and cuddling, I ask you?

I've got the house to myself. But, the only offers I've had have been from three couples, none of who are very far away. Two of them are kind of cute. But...

Shane's mouth dropped open the other night, when I told him that I haven't had a three-way since Mark and Lauri.

(I guess it is a right of passage for gay boys)

"What?" Incredulous look. "None at all? Not one?"

"Nah, none," I said. "Just haven't been up for it."

I've never been able to face them, since. I've not been interested. Even though, I loved every minute - well, nearly - of my four year three way relationship. I wouldn't change any of it. But, clearly, there is something that I'm not facing.

Manny was up for it - sexy boy, I miss him. What kind of idiot am I? Manny would suggest going to the sauna to pick up Italian boys. "They're real easy," Manny would say. "Italian boys are big sluts!" Big grin. A hot Greek boy and a sexy Italian boy, I'd have been in pig heaven.

"Think of their cocks," Manny would say.

But no. Not that I ever had a huge and scary issue about it, I've just lost the enthusiasm for it. Still don't have it. The idea just leaves me blank, is the best way I can describe it.

I could have therapy, I guess. Everybody is doing it.

Not Something I Saw Coming

I'm reading the newspaper to be some what surprised that Steve Fielding has backed the abortion bill. He's quite progressive, or at least, tends to occupy that policy area that Labour once occupied but has now abandoned. I hate to say it, especially, about a Christian, but, I tend to agree, more often than not, with what he says. (kill me now!) Now that Labour has become the Liberal party, I guess something like this was bound to happen. Not something I saw coming, though. Who'd have thought that a Christian could become more progressive. (is it a trick?) My God, I'll be voting for him next.

Calling

My new phone is nice. It's nothing special, like an iPhone, or anything that exotic. It's just a Nokia, 6500. But, it's nicely weighted - it feels like something. Has some substance to it, feels solid. Feels good in my hand. (sounds like I'm talking about something else) It's nice getting back to basic black - goes with everything - after having to have a certain amount of colour on my last two phones. Really, it's just like my old phone, but does everything a bit more slickly. It's good, I like it. Not that I needed a new phone, but, I guess, it's nice to have one, anyway.

Most of my friends have emailed their details to me. Word seemed to get out, after I asked a couple of people for their numbers. Then everyone seemed to email me with all their numbers, some of which - like home numbers and work numbers - I didn't have before.

What I have lost, is all the guy's numbers I had. Don't get me wrong, my phone was no little black book, but there were certain numbers and certain boys I'd call up from time to time for a bit of R & R. I have lost them, my only contact detail was their mobile number. Simon. Eugene. Steve. Jack. I guess they will call me eventually, maybe. Otherwise, it will be if I bump into them. I don't know anything else about them - surname, address, work, nothing. It never seemed all that relevant. We only ever hooked up for one thing.

You Taste Good

I'd say kiss him, but he already appears too have his tongue inside the other boy's mouth

No Dick Policy

I’m meant to be going and collecting cakes for mum. She is not answering her phone. I ring every half an hour. I was beginning to think that she had gone out when she answers. (brother) Will’s been staying so, of course, everything has been washed and she had been down at the line hanging it out.

How much washing did he do? I think. I know he’s nuts about cleanliness, washing all the demons out of his soul, no doubt, but I’ve been calling for hours?

Subject: Tuesday night

Oh my gosh! That's horrible – there's probably a story or a script in there somewhere though. I've always said the thing about taxi rides is they're good value because for $20 you always come away with an anecdote. I think a stolen phone is more than an anecdote though. You have to tell me how it came to be that: "Take me to [your] St (or wherever) driver" became a stolen phone.

Mobile number: XXXX XXX XXX

Work ph: XXXX XXXX (and yes I do answer this one sometimes and I've been at the same number for a record 3+ months)

Work mob: XXX XXX XXX (it's a Nokia – I don't know how to make it work so I usually don't answer it)

Send me your script! Best send it to this address so that I can print off to read – no printer at home at the moment. Then again, I can always try the modern thing of reading it on the computer. Ooh, hang on a minute – there's probably a content issue isn't there. Scrap that. Just send it to my home e-mail.

Kym

Subject: Tuesday night

I thought it might be a little much to ask you to print the script out and then read it and comment on it, so I have a hard copy already printed for you, which I thought I might deliver to you over lunch, maybe. What do you think?

(christian)

I went to mums, picked up a cake from Valmae in Balwyn on my way. We had lunch. I mowed the lawn. We chatted. We laughed.

I was home by five.

Subject: Tuesday night

That's a great idea. It would have to be next week and I'd probably have Max with me. Assuming that's okay with you then it's a goer. Let me know.

Kym

Subject: Tuesday night

That would be lovely. I’d love to see Max. (We can play mum & dad again) What bat time? What bat cave?

christian

Shane and Dante went to the Deco Exhibition. They bring home a card showing the Cord Winchester sedan. The same card Mark and Luke bought me when they went to the Art Deco Exhibition.

We smoked pot when they got back. Dante accuses me of sucking the life out of the joint, yet again.

David packed. We watched Life, the detective show.

David took valium and stilnox. Dante advised David that too many downers was when you couldn’t lift the pill to your mouth any longer.

I added Dante to my new phone, with the correct spelling of his last name.

I was just thinking about my no dick policy, for my photos. Of course, I have broken it on occasions, but generally... Okay, review complete, the cover up stays. I just think it is so much sexier to leave a little something to the imagination. Don't you?

It's just in these days of more conservative moral judgements, nudity has all but come a dirty word. We've all become so prudish. I even heard someone say on TV, the other day, "Am I allowed to say crotch on TV." Sad, but true.

Maybe, in these more conservative times, we need more nudity. The human body is beautiful, don't feel ashamed. Maybe, I should just go ahead and post full nudity every day, as a backlash against spiralling conservative moralism?

Nah. I don't reckon. Leave them panting for a little more, that's what I think.

A thought sometime later...

What is the difference between someone's elbow, breast, penis or ankle, essentially nothing. They are all simply a part of our anatomy. And thank the universe we are all different enough to have fetishes about each of them.

Virgo - I think I'm pretty much on track

Mars and Mercury are sitting near each other in the zodiac for much longer than they normally would because Mercury, your ruler, is effectively standing still. It's as if something within you is getting ready to make a once-in-a-lifetime bid to escape a stale situation and to find some way to do more of what you have always believed you should be doing with your life. That's not all going to start happening today, but each new drama and development is taking you closer to such a time in the not-so-distant future.

Bloody Phone

I lost my phone last night. Grrr! I've never misplaced my phone, let alone lost it. I went out for dinner with all of my old girlfriends to a restaurant in Brighton. I had on camouflage pants with shallow pockets and it must have just slipped out in the taxi. I, actually, felt my cigarettes slip out of my pocket, at one stage and I retrieved them. So, why didn't I feel the phone go? Grrr! Again! Grrr!

I called the taxi company, who were of moderate help. Silver Top were okay, but Black were useless. Their policy is that the drivers hand them into any police station, anywhere. In other words, they don't want to know and they don't care. The trouble is that as the girls were booking a taxi at the restaurant, clever me hailed one in the street. I was outside having a smoke, it wasn't that hard. So, therefore we don't, actually, know what taxi company taxi we were in.

I don't even use my phone that much, but I went to call two people this morning, as we are heading up to Bolago for the day, but, of course, I don't know anybody’s phone numbers, they are all in my phone. Grrr!

SMS. 01.37. Want 2 organise 2 massages & an overnite stay at HH. My credit card details I can forward – Shelly

Poor Shel, she’s going to be pissed off with me! It ain’t ever going to happen. What should I do about it?

I got a new phone in the morning from the 3 shop on Swanston Street. I thought, think it do it.

Jill and Leah went walking in the morning.

I went to Bolago with Leah. We left just on midday. Leah had to have a Java coffee before we left.

Subject: Tuesday night

(Kym)

Hey

I got my phone stolen by a bastard taxi driver, can you email me your phone number.

And I have my script finished for you to read.

christian

Smoked pot, watched teev. Added phone numbers to my new phone. I speak to Leah, at Jill’s, to get her mobile. She accuses me of being stoned, which I am. Ha, ha.

SMS. 20.28. Jesus, duck! What a parlava because some cunt stole my phone – christian

SMS. 20.32. Sounds like u were not given a good deal at all! Bastards! And you are right, all of their jargon is ludicrous – Rachel

SMS. 21.12. How do u spell your last name? – christian

SMS. 21.59. It’s christian. I lost my phone – christian

SMS. 22.02. Azzopardi – Nick

SMS. 22.15. And how big is your dick – Christian

SMS. 22.23. Fuck off – Nick

SMS. 22.30. Will you show it to me? – Christian 

SMS. 22.37. What is wrong with you? – Nick

Out With My Ex

Shane and I went to Sircuit to meet up with my ex-boyfriend Lauri, who is in town for a couple of weeks. As we walked into the bar there was a drag show on.

"Drag?" I said to Shane. "You've got to be kidding." I stood on the spot, just inside the door.

"Come on," said Shane.

"Don't know if I want to."

Lauri suddenly appeared laughing. I knew he was laughing at the drag, he didn't need to tell me.

I'm sorry, but I've never understood the attraction for men who are attracted to men, and masculine things, of men dressed up in a dress to look like woman. Clearly, I don't have that gene.

We got beers and watched the bad drag, pulling it to pieces... well, we're still acidic queens deep down, even if we deny it.

"Why is it that it is always the big, fat ones who want to be drag queens?" I asked. "Why isn't ever the small, petite ones?"

Lauri laughed. "That's so true."

Dale bought over three jugs of beer. Lauri and I looked wide-eyed at the amount of beer before us. Dale patted us on the shoulder and kept going, as Dale does.

"You know, ever since I saw Paul Capsis sing archipella, in harmony with two other drags, in Sydney that Mardi Gras," I said. I closed my eyes and heard those angels. "Any drag queen who doesn't use her own voice to sing, leaves me thinking it's amateur hour."

"I know, it's a cop out," said Lauri. "Very nineteen seventies."

The spot light swung on to us. "Hi, what's your name?" the drag queen asked Lauri, shoving a mic in his face. We hadn't noticed the drag queen, who was on the floor working the audience, walk up to us.

"Lauri," said Lauri. Big smile, Lauri doesn't mind attention. Loves it, in fact.

"Are you doin' him?" asked the baritone voice, of me.

I looked at Lauri's beaming face looking at me. "Not any more," I said. Still handsome, I thought. I'd still have sex with you. I hadn't thought that in years, but, I'd not been asked that in years."

"Boyfriends," Lauri offered.

"Used to," I said.

"Ex's," Lauri said.

"Is he any good?" the drag queen asked me with a flick of her head towards Lauri.

Is he any good? I thought back to staring into his eyes and kissing him for hours. I remembered the drunk chick at The Albury, that Sunday night after Mardi Gras, when Lauri and I were dancing wrapped in each other's arms, who slurred in our ears, You two are too beautiful together. Big grin. I bet you'd be amazing to watch? Lecherous look. I thought about nearly not seeing Mykonos at all, when we didn't leave our cabin for 4 days out of the week we were there. I thought of the parties, the years, the loving, the fun... we had SO much fun.

I caught Lauri's gaze, "Yeah, real good."

He smiled back with those loving eyes of old.

I rubbed his head.

He hugged me tight.

 

Senator Guy Barnett

Tasmanian Liberal Senator Guy Barnett had intended to move a motion in the Senate on Tuesday to outlaw Medicare funding for abortions between 16 and 24 weeks.

However, the government and opposition agreed to send the motion off to be examined by a committee, delaying a conscience vote on it.

Senator Barnett welcomed the committee's involvement, saying it would help get more facts on the table.

"I intend to reintroduce my motion to disallow Medicare funding following the report of the Senate committee," he said.

Senator Barnett encouraged people to express their views to the Senate committee.

"It is important that the voice of the many Australians who are deeply concerned about this issue is heard."

Now, why would he do this? A concern for woman's health. A matter of physical policy? Or even, matching the outdated law to what happens in real life. I don't think so. Let's look, shall we...

Senator Guy Barnett's extremist religious views

Posted August 22nd, 2006

He’s only been a senator since 2002. But Guy Barnett is now one of the most visible backbenchers in the Australian government, and is widely regarded as a strong ministerial contender.

How did he climb so far, so fast?

Since he entered public life in 1994, arguing against decriminalisation of homosexuality in Tasmania, Guy Barnett’s main claim to fame has been the heterosexuals-only Marriage Act of 2004, which he recently followed up by organising for the ACT same-sex civil unions legislation to be crushed from above.

Parliamentary Convenor of the August 2006 ‘Australian Christian Heritage’ National Forum, Barnett’s interpretation of his Baptist faith brings a very particular emphasis to his political activism.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the motion would make it harder for women to access safe, equitable and legal late-term pregnancy terminations.

"Withdrawing Medicare funding for second-trimester terminations will not only affect women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, but could also force women to have even later terminations, after being forced to cover the gap, as well as the original fee," Senator Hanson-Young said.

"Women have fought long and hard to be able to make decisions about their health and well being, and the Greens will not be supporting any attempt to turn back the clock on women's reproductive rights."

www.bewareofthegod.com presents the fifth in Chloe Martin’s essential series of Public Information Sheets: Know Your Politician: The Hon Senator Guy Barnett.

Please! DOWNLOAD the PDF and send to friends. A Liberal senator will push ahead with his plan to end Medicare funding for late-term abortions, no matter what the outcome of a parliamentary inquiry into the issue.

Be under no illusion, Senator Guy Barnett is taking a stand against abortion funding to maintain his own Christian views. It has nothing to do with woman or woman's health. He is holding every woman, in Australia, to ransom in 2008 because he chooses to believe in 2000 year old mythical ideas.