I’d have thought, that if Nadine Dorries ain’t willing to talk to folk on her own site, she’d be quite unlikely to jump into the bear pit here. Still, we live in hope.

“Blog for Choice Day provides us with an opportunity to raise the profile of reproductive rights in the blogosphere and the media, while celebrating Roe’s 35th anniversary. Plus, it’s a great way to let your readers and the mainstream media know that a woman’s right to choose is a core progressive value that must be protected.”

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/choice-action-center/bfc08-home.html

Sunny, it might be an idea to link to Kate’s piece - give Blog for Choice Day a true international flavour…..

No Nads yet, I see.

Pity.

h
e
r
e

Perhaps Iain Dale would like to come over here - and bring the charming Nadine Dorries with him, of course - and tell us why Conservatives want the brakes put on abortion law? Nadine has, alas, ignored my friendly overtures thus far…

Can persons of influence who read/write Lib Conspiracy go and get Iain and Nads?

Cool.

h
e
r
e

ok - 5.30pm

Will give them another half an hour.

Will report back at 4.01pm, unless I come second.

I am keeping really still in my chair, just to help the other side along a bit.

“A formidable show of strength but security officials were clearly very nervous. When last so many women went to parliament, they headed for the railings.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/diary/story/0,,2242742,00.html

Lol.

Feminist Fightback is picketing the Christian Medical Fellowship this Friday as well, I think. It’s all on!

Not too worried about the Christians, really. I doubt their reach. If the Lord really didn’t like my take on abortion, he would have pushed me under a bus by now.

xxxxx Kate

Anyway, just thought I’d take the opportunity to advertise the upcoming protest against Ann Widdecome’s road show:

“Abortion Rights has called a peaceful pro-choice protest against anti-abortion MP Ann Widdecome’s road show ‘Not on your life . .. or anyone else’s’ which is promoting anti-abortion goals around the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. (subject to police permission).
Assemble outside Central Hall Westminster
Wednesday 6th February, 6.30pm”

I can say that both of Nadine Dorries’ recent attempts to lower the time limit and to introduce a compulsory ten-day cooling-off period (something I need every time she opens her gob) last year were beaten resoundingly.

Most MPs seem to understand that the majority view favours the existing legislation and indeed favours a modernising and liberalising of it. (The Abortion Rights website has these numbers. Liberalising the law would include getting rid of the current need for two GPs signatures, and allowing nurses and other health professionals to perform the procedure).

The main concern we pro-choicers have is the noise made by pro-lifers. They’re a small group, but they’re very loud and very crazy and the mainstream media loves them. They will lobby MPs with a passion as the Fertilisation & Embryology Bill progresses, and I imagine the likes of the Daily Mail will help them all the way.

Conservative bloggers should know better that to support the extremists, but on they go. I vaguely remember seeing Iain Dale on 18 Doughty Street last year, faffing about the subject with some man of the cloth or other, both of them telling each other that it was time to take a big breath and reconsider abortion law from a conversative perspective, etc. Can’t remember exactly how that one wrapped on account of chucking a brick through the telly.

Nadine Dorries is the real horror, though. She’s the one playing the emotive card – her gig is to play up the one percent of abortions that take place after 24 weeks. Very few abortions – well, only about one percent, as I say – take place at or after 24 weeks, but old Nadine’s game is to put the emphasis of the argument on that one percent, and thus call into question the whole process and morality of abortion.

She’s BAD.

Good to see John Bercow going off at the above meeting, though. I wonder if his view is representative of the Conservatives in general. Given that they may end up in government in a couple of years, I very much hope so.