The Dorries amendment will be a free vote - keep the pressure on

[WilsonFrickett]

Lots of press today saying that the govt has decided to vote against ND's ridiculous amendment. While this is good news, it will still be a free vote, with individual MPs able to vote as they please. If you were thinking about emailing your MP on this issue please still do so - the result isn't a foregone conclusion.

From the Guardian article:

...a combination of the unpredictable intake of new Tory MPs, split between social conservatives and modernisers, the number of Roman Catholic Labour MPs, and the high degree of nuance of the amendment make it extremely unclear which way the vote will go.

www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/31/downing-street-uturn-abortion-proposals

[MyGoldfishIsEvil]

I think the real travesty is that Dorries amendment was allocated 90 mins of debate time, in a bill with 1000 amendments regarding the NHS as whole. Those other amendments can't possibly all be debated, and, if the bill is passed, what are they going to do to the NHS?

Someone in parliament today (forget who) said, an amendment regarding abortion counselling has no place within this legislation - abortion is legislated separately from the NHS. So the real question is:

How many of those 1000 amendments to the NHS bill have slipped under the radar because of the furore over abortion counselling? Could Dories herself be a patsy - taking the heat off Cameron's other NHS reforms? Cameron himself was notably absent at the debate.

[aliceliddell]

Yes MyGoldfish - women's rights are the perfect decoy sacrifice to get that pesky NHS public spending nonsense safely opened up to the privatising vampires private sector

[NarkyPuffinLovesDiane]

I think the current government are perfectly capable of destroying the NHS and screwing with women's rights in a very short period of time.

Have a little faith.

[aliceliddell]

posted too soon, dammit. If this "any qualified provider" thing goes through, that's curtains for the NHS, but we're all panicking about bloody Dorries

[MyGoldfishIsEvil]

Watching The Thick of It has made me very cynical - but I can just imagine them scheming. Maybe that's another reason Cameron was sniggering at Dorries at PMQ.....

[aliceliddell]

Narky I fear you may be right

[MyGoldfishIsEvil]

I'm panicking about the NHS and women's rights tbh. And the economy, and the environment, and tuition fees....... aaaargh!

Need a

[WilsonFrickett]

Yeah, but we can't fight 'everything that they might be thinking'. We can only fight individual pieces of legislation - that's why it's important to keep on top of it all and to get fired up on individual issues that are important to people - like this one. So have a instead Goldfish - we live to fight another day!

[aliceliddell]

[NarkyPuffinLovesDiane]

Agree. Assume they're going to have a good go at fucking up a wide variety of things but take it one day at a time.

[NarkyPuffinLovesDiane]

Will there be vodka?

[MyGoldfishIsEvil]

At least whatever it is they (might be) thinking of cooking up for abortion counselling, it won't actually be in primary legislation.

[WilsonFrickett]

Narky there will always be vodka! Why isn't there a vodka emoticon?

[Bramshott]

Anyone got a complete list of the 118 voting in favour yet?? I want to see if my tosser MP is on there so I can harrangue him more by email if necessary. He has form on this - he was one of the supporters of Nadine Dorries crusade to have compulsory abstinence training for girls . And the sad thing is that he's only in his early 40s with a young family.

[kelly2000]

www.theyworkforyou.com

If you put in your postcode, it should tell you how your MP voted (assuming it has been updated yet)

[MyGoldfishIsEvil]

Can't find the list of the 118 yet - but some of the known ones are being demonised on twitter already. (Don't agree with this btw - after all we are a democracy). I would very much like to know how my own MP voted though, or if he was even there.

Here is a full transcript of the debate for anyone that's interested:

www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2011-09-07a.362.2&s=mps+voting+for+dorries+amendment#g386.4

I am most uncomfortable with Dorries' particular style of politics has made it's way into the House of Commons tbh. For about the first 10 mins of the debate she griped about the left wing media and the hate campaign against her - as an MP she should rise above all that nonsense and just stick to the facts. Diane Abbots speech showed her amendment up for what is was - shoddy and ill-conceived.

As for the Abstinence Bill, maybe we should turn our attention to that. Lovely sexist legislation that only girls should receive extra sex education. I would love to know if anyone's 7yr olds have been taught to put a condom on a banana as well - they certainly don't at my children's school!

Did you know the Abstinence Bill passed it's first hearing on a vote of 67 to 61? Has a second hearing in January though so definitely still time to harangue our MPS about this. Gosh, I'm so political these days

[Empusa]

The Abstinence Bill is a farce. Absolutely ridiculous.

[MyGoldfishIsEvil]

Here is the list:

spiderplantland.co.uk/?p=7418#more-7418

My MP wasn't even there

[Bramshott]

Thanks Goldfish. Bugger, he is there . Thought he would be. More lobbying then I feel. I can forgive him being a Tory, but not this sort of right-wing misogynist twattery.

Did Cameron not bother to vote on this in the end, or is he just not on the list??

[MyGoldfishIsEvil]

No, Cameron was conspicuously absent.

[WilsonFrickett]

No surprises DC missed the vote. Wants to have his cake and eat it. Cos of the way he has a 'feel' for wimmen's issues. Boak boak boak.

[Empusa]

Our MP voted against. I thought he might :)

[Bramshott]

Typical .

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Thanks from me too Goldfish. Our MP is there sadly and she hasn't replied to my email either. Thought she might be an aye though as I looked at what she has voted for previously and she iseems uber rightwing.

Just might write to her again asking why she voted for when the government asked them to vote against.

[higgle]

Has anyone mentioned independent advice in other sectors?

If a woman was intending to agree to her partner taking a loan secured on their property to finance her partner's business it would be unthinkable for her to be advised by the bank intending to make the loan - she is put in contact with an independent solicitor for this purpose. Is human life less precious? The advice must not only be independent it must be seen to be independent

Some years ago I did have a pregnancy terminated in very difficult circumstances, I viewed this as a last resort to protect the welfare of my existing children. I wanted to have access to counselling to explore both options. At BPAS I had a very short session, time limited, and I was aware other people were waiting to be seen. When I explained my circumstances I was met with a "poor you" response and urged to put myself first because no one else would. I was shocked by this as I was quite happy to put my interests last, but wanted to talk through the impact on my husband and family. I also sought some advice from a pro life agency, and there the emphasis was totally on the interests of the baby and lots of emotive language was used. Quite frankly neither met my remit and I would have appreciated the opportunity to see someone who would have impartially looked at all aspects of my predicament and given me space to make my decision.