The governing conceit of the left’s now-default ideology, identity politics, is that a person’s identity determines everything about them. Most especially what and how they should think. So, naturally, when one of the left’s favoured identity groups steps out of line, the denunciation is as punishing and unforgiving as any Inquisition.
Consider those feminist icons who’ve dared challenge transgender ideology, or black conservatives, or celebrities who voice non-left opinions.
But the leftist hell hath no greater fury than its unhinged hatred for conservative women who speak against abortion.
The latest supposed “traitor to the sisterhood” is non other than Australia’s Assistant Women’s Minister.
Assistant Women’s Minister Amanda Stoker has joined a “push back” by government backbenchers against abortion availability, declaring that vulnerable women including rape victims must have “real choice” before ending an unwanted pregnancy[…]
Cheered by a crowd of 3000 outside the state parliament, she shared a stage with former cabinet minister Matt Canavan and outgoing federal LNP MP George Christensen, who are promoting private member’s bills to roll back abortion law reform.
One doesn’t have to agree with Stoker’s views to staunchly defend her right to hold and express them. Stoker can expect no such courtesy from the left.
The mother-of-three said her pro-life views did not affect her role as Assistant Women’s Minister despite criticism of the appointment last month by Australian of the Year Grace Tame and actress Magda Szubanski. Scott Morrison would have been aware she was speaking at Saturday’s March for Life, but “I didn’t specifically send a memo” to check with the Prime Minister, Senator Stoker said.
The leftists seem particularly apoplectic that an appointment that they seem to assume is theirs’ by right has been “usurped” by not just a conservative, but an openly religious conservative. Every Long March leftist knows that only fellow leftists are to be appointed to such roles as “Women’s Minister”.
She told The Australian late-term terminations should be banned even in situations where the pregnancy had been caused by rape. “I understand this can be divisive and difficult … but I have a very strong view that when it comes to later-term abortion that is something that is wrong, and it is something we shouldn’t provide for. Now I don’t think that’s a controversial position,” she said.
Note the twin gambits that the left are trying to trap Stoker with: the Motte and Bailey gambit of pretending that “late term abortions” implies “all abortions”, and the Appeal to the Extreme of “caused by rape”.
In the first instance, late-term abortion is very different to other methods of abortion. Late-term aborted foetuses are perfectly capable of surviving outside the womb (the earliest-born infant, now a healthy toddler, is so far at 20½ weeks).
Late-term abortions are broadly defined as those performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Asked what she considered the cut-off to be, Senator Stoker said: “I don’t think I have to split that hair.
“I think we can probably take a step further and say if a baby is capable of being born alive and safe, then it shouldn’t be aborted. And then I think you should have a longer and very inclusive discussion, a tolerant discussion, about where to from there.”
Then there is the “caused by rape” argument. In fact, medical protocol is that emergency contraception should be supplied to rape victims, even if they test negative for pregnancy. Possibly because of this, rape is cited as the reason for just 0.4% of abortions.
Trying to trap Stoker on “late-term abortion because of rape” is a mendacious appeal to an almost non-existent extreme.
Similarly, the left-media gambit here is to present politicians like Stoker as “anti-abortion”, when in fact their stated position is that abortion law is now going too far.
In an interview, [Senator Canavan] said the pendulum had swung too far on abortion and euthanasia law reform. “My view is that those of us who support life should proactively introduce legislation that does seek to roll back some of the radical changes we have seen, especially for abortion laws in recent years.
“We have played a lot of defence trying to stop the decriminalisation of abortion but that has largely failed, and we are left with very radical abortion laws that do legalise abortion right up to birth and are allowing sex selection abortion”[…]
The existence of this practice in Australia is also contested, though the former resources minister told the crowd: “We know it happens.”
Of course we know it happens – and we know where and why it happens. But multiculti pieties forbid even discussing that.
But the most damaging deception being peddled here is that women must all think in exact lockstep on abortion – or any other issue.
“Representing women well doesn’t mean all women agree on all things,” she said[…]“But one of the things I offer to my party and to Queenslanders is conviction,” she said.
The Australian
Far from driving voters away, Stoker may well serve as an example to Scott Morrison that the party’s conservative base will welcome an outspoken conservative – and that continually giving in to the left is not a vote-winning strategy.
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