Writings

A collection of 345 posts

Writings

Beyond the ‘yuk factor’

WILL the carping of stem cell opponents never cease? First they insist their opposition to liberalisation of the laws governing embryo research is grounded in concern about women being exploited for their eggs. Then, one by one, they misrepresent and then reject every scientific alternative proposed to find alternative sources

Writings

It Matters Who You Are, and Where You Come From

Should arguments stand or fall on their merit? Or is it critical that media consumers get full, accurate and relevant information about who is providing facts, or offering opinion, about matters of public interest?. It may be nice to think the quality of ideas – not those who promulgate them determines

Writings

Women can still say “no”

Is stem cell science really anti-woman? Can anyone who truly believes in the right of women to be treated as rational citizens deserving of the same rights and opportunities as men campaign against the science on the grounds that women lack the capacity to give informed consent to egg donation?

Writings

There Shouldn’t Be One Law for Religions, Another for the Rest

Retiring sex discrimination commissioner Pru Goward’s parting comments on the unfettered capacity of the nation’s religious institutions to practise gender discrimination were the most interesting – and contentious – of her tenure. Despite the generous support of such institutions by the Australian Government through tax exemptions and funding for religious

Writings

Multiculturalism and Feminism: Do they Mix?

This article ran in the Sydney Morning Herald essay series celebrating the paper’s 175th anniversary. Do multiculturalism and feminism mix? What about feminism and religious freedom? One could be forgiven for having doubts. In a range of pluralist, liberal states – Australia included – pockets of cultural and religious minorities engage

Writings

Legal Safeguards Can Make Euthanasia A Legitimate Option

People should have the right to make choices about their own deaths. Earlier this week Senator Amanda Vanstone re-opened the euthanasia debate by opining in a newspaper interview that it was inhumane to deprive Australians of “sane sensible and humane euthanasia laws”. The arguments the palliative care movement make against

Writings

Burlesque evokes a repressive past, not a liberating present

Last Thursday, a number of female scientists stormed out of the dinner of a government- funded conference on climate change. They were outraged at the choice of a scantily-clad, all-woman burlesque troupe that included one performer covered with balloons that conference participants were invited to pop – as entertainment. For the

Writings

Steve Irwin: Why we admired the boy who wouldn’t grow up

For me, the news of Steve Irwin’s death caused a Diana moment: the molasses, freeze-time moment of shock that sears whatever one was doing – going to lunch, cleaning the fridge, having a shower – on one’s consciousness for ever. I sat at my computer and cried. Why has Irwin’

Writings

Implications of Dr Suman Sood conviction for unlawful abortion

Leslie talks about the implications of the conviction of New South Whales Dr Suman Sood for unlawful abortion. This audio opinion first aired on The Law Report, Radio National, ABC radio on 29 August 2006. Download an MP3 [./lrt_20060829.mp3] encoded recording of the segment. Read the transcript [http:

Writings

Contemporary callenges to women’s freedom to choose

Leslie joins Jo Wainer in a discussion of her book Lost, and contemporary challenges to women’s freedom to choose. This audio opinion first aired on Late Night Live with Phillip Adams, Radio National, ABC radio on 16 August 2006. Download an MP3 [./lnl_20060816.mp3] encoded recording of the

Writings

Transparency in Advertising

Hear Leslie discuss the lack of regulation prohibiting deceptive and misleading advertising from anti-choice pregnancy counselling agencies This audio first aired on Hack, Triple J, ABC radio on 16 August 2006. Download an MP3 [./preg-counselling.mp3] encoded recording of the segment.

Writings

The Net Brings You The World, But Not Necessarily the Facts

It’s enough to make you feel queasy. A recent Harris poll found that half the American public – up from 36% last year ~~believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction at the time of the US invasion. This despite the fact that final report of the Iraq Survey Group~~ experts

Writings

Stem Cell D-Day

Co-authored with Dr Elizabeth Finkel Late last year, the Lockhart Legislative Review Committee – the Federal Government’s own handpicked experts – handed down its recommendations on the fate of stem cell research in this country. Among other things, the Committee recommended lifting Australia’s ban on so-called “therapeutic cloning”. Having first

Writings

Does "yes" still mean "yes" and “no” mean “no”?

Some called it Camillagate. The streaming of footage from the Big Brother household showing two men sexually dominating a woman, followed by a public outcry for the show to be taken off air. But was there something in the story most commentators missed? Leslie says “yes”. This audio opinion first

Writings

Rewind

The recent “Camilla” incident streamed from the Big Brother house several weeks ago renewed controversy about the show’s suitability for free-to-air TV. Of course for some, the issue was decided long ago. Victorian Family Council Secretary Bill Muelenberg, Family First Senator Senator Steven Fielding and Queensland Nationals MP Paul

Writings

Accusers, Abusers and Excusers: The Dreyfus Affair Revisited

Download an MP3 [https://blog.cannold.com/audio/2006-06-26/bia_20060625.mp3] encoded recording of the event.

Writings

Positive Family Planning Letter

Leslie’s letter to the editor [https://blog.cannold.com/articles/2006-06-17/MJA-letter-2006-06-17.pdf] on “Positive Family Planning” in the .

Writings

Progressive Social Movements: Is the end nigh?

The challenge for feminists is to beat a system that still stifles them There is a self-flagellatory streak in feminist books these days. The underlying message is that the biggest problem contemporary women face is that “feminists” didn’t tell them that they couldn’t “have it all”, rather than

Writings

Victims of a Lost Puritanism

Book Review – Lost: Illegal abortion stories. Edited by Jo Wainer, foreward by Helen Garner. Carlton, Melbourne University Press, 2006. 214 pages. ISBN: 0~~522~~85231–9 For some, but perhaps not enough of us, time and people divide into two categories: the time before abortion laws were liberalised, and the

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Living in the public eye means living under public judgement

Former footballer, broadcaster and TV fisherman Rex Hunt’s entanglement in a scandal of his own making may not engage everyone’s sympathy and interest. Tabloid-fodder, we might sniff, before returning to the more serious business of sipping lattes and cracking open expensive bottles of chardonnay. But Hunt’s story

Writings

Stem cell dilemma

Ethical dilemma from Virginia Trioli’s ABC Australia Radio Program. Download an MP3 [https://blog.cannold.com/audio/2006-05-16/trioli-2006-05-16.mp3] encoded recording of the interview.

Writings

Time to Break the News to Your Children

Should children be told they were conceived by sperm or egg donation? “Go home, have sex and forget about it. That’s what doctors used to tell infertile couples in the early days of donor insemination. Donors, too, were assumed to want, and were provided with, total anonymity as a

Writings

Full disclosure for pregnancy counselling services

Leslie was interviewed by Henry Grossek (Viewpoints) on 3SER 97.7 FM [http://www.3ser.org.au]. Download an MP3 [https://blog.cannold.com/audio/2006-05-09/viewpoints-2006-03-31.mp3] or Ogg Vorbis [https://blog.cannold.com/audio/2006-05-09/viewpoints-2006-03-31.ogg] encoded recording of the interview.

Writings

Abortion, Corruption & Cops: The Bertram Wainer Story

Crochet hooks, castor oil, slippery elm bark, syringes full of Lifeuboy soap and Dettol. Sepsis, gas gangrene of the uterus, hysterectomies on 12 year olds, deserted pregnant wives taking their children and jumping off the St Kilda pier and women waiting, scared and alone, on a dark windswept corner of

Writings

To tell or not to tell

Ethical dilemma from Virginia Trioli’s ABC Australia Radio Program. Download an MP3 [https://blog.cannold.com/audio/2006-03-14/trioli-2006-03-14.mp3] encoded recording of the interview.