36 A third of British women want to give up work to look after their children

(1) NSW Government funds Sydney Gay mardi gras by $30 every year
(2) L.A. Episcopal leaders nominate 2 openly gay, lesbian priests as bishops
(3) Lesbians win right to ban men; Gays win right to ban women
(4) Anti-discrimination laws only apply to Straight Men
(5) A third of British women want to give up work to look after their children
(6) Professor of Midwifery says pain during Birth preferable to drugs
(7) Women should put up with pain of birth, instead of resorting to drugs - UK professor
(8) Rabbi urges Orthodox Jewish women to have 12 kids

(1) NSW Government funds Sydney Gay mardi gras by $30 every year

http://www.protectionist.net/2009/03/08/homosexual-parade-funding-a-disgrace/

Homosexual parade funding a disgrace

March 8, 2009 by APP

Australian Protectionist Party National Chairman Mr. Andrew Phillips today condemned the waste of taxpayers' funds on the promotion of the "homosexual lifestyle".

"The citizens of New South Wales should be outraged that their government continues to pump in taxes to the tune of $30 million a year at a time when funding should be going into hospitals, education and transport" Mr. Phillips said.

The Australian Protectionist Party firmly supports the foundation of our society, the family unit, and believes all Australian public money should be directed to protecting families and creating a country which nurtures their development, enabling Australians to reach their full potential- not for promoting unnatural behaviour and celebrating perversion.

"The claims that tourism will be increased by this ridiculous event should be enough to raise concern in itself" Mr. Phillips continued "The World Health Organisation has warned that AIDS in on the increase, with over 10 million infected with the disease in Asia alone. Is this one of the net benefits we are expected to gain from this annual influx of tourism?"

"Australian governments should be held accountable for the contempt they show towards their constituents and our nation's traditional values. Rather than pandering to the whims of the homosexual lobby groups on issues such as adoption, superannuation, same sex unions, IVF and money to display their deviate behaviour on the streets of our cities, they should be funding roads, health, education and increasing the pension for those who actually contributed to building our nation."

"Perhaps those who support the so called "right" of homosexuals to adopt should take time to witness the behaviour displayed by those involved in this event and then consider whether these people really are fit to be involved in the lives of vulnerable and impressionable children" Mr. Phillips concluded.

(2) L.A. Episcopal leaders nominate 2 openly gay, lesbian priests as bishops

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/la-episcopal-leaders-nominate-openly-gay-lesbian-priests-as-bishops.html

1:10 PM | August 2, 2009

Episcopal Church leaders in Los Angeles today nominated an openly gay priest and an openly lesbian priest as bishops, becoming one of the first dioceses in the national church to test a controversial new policy that lifted a de facto ban on gays and lesbians in the ordained hierarchy.

The nominations of the Rev. John L. Kirkley of San Francisco and the Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool of a Baltimore-based diocese are likely to further inflame theological conservatives in the U.S. church and their global partners in the Anglican Communion, who have repeatedly warned about the repercussions of such action.

The two are among six nominees who will face election for two assistant bishop posts at the diocese’s annual December convention in Riverside.

The Diocese of Los Angeles, which represents 70,000 Episcopalians in six counties, is widely regarded as one of the most liberal in the U.S. church of 2.1 million members. Its bishop, the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, is an outspoken advocate of gays rights in the church. ...

(3) Lesbians win right to ban men; Gays win right to ban women

Lesbian dance parties no-go zone for men

By Kelvin Healey

Herald Sun

July 23, 2009 12:01am

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25823720-421,00.html

A PARTY company specialising in dances for lesbians and bisexual women has won the legal right to ban men.

Pinkalicious was given the green light to stop men because they might pester women for sex.

Director Julie MacKenzie hailed the VCAT decision a landmark, saying it made Pinkalicious the only women-only party in Australia, the Herald Sun reports.

Ms MacKenzie complained to the tribunal she couldn't stop men attending the parties "even if I know they intend to hit on women".

Fellow organiser Samantha Stevens argued men should be banned because they would be intimidating and deter lesbian and bisexual patrons.

"In my experience feminine lesbians are often the target of heterosexual male fantasy, and therefore subject to more intrusive attention from them," Ms Stevens said.

"It is a major concern that heterosexual males will attend the Pinkalicious event in the hope they can achieve their desire for a sexual experience with multiple women."

VCAT ruled in favour of Pinkalicious this month, with Judge Marilyn Harbison noting no objections were raised after the proposed man ban was advertised.

But Men's Rights Agency director Sue Price slammed the ruling.

She said it contradicted Attorney-General Rob Hulls' move to open up elite men's venues, including the Melbourne and Athenaeum clubs, to women.

In May, Mr Hulls slammed private men's clubs as "a throwback to a bygone era" and said he wanted them to lose their exemption to anti-discrimination laws.

Ms Price said Pinkalicious was given special treatment.

"I get enormously angry about the laws," she said.

Ms MacKenzie was thrilled with the man ban.

"We are ecstatic about it," she said.

"The feedback I was getting from the girls was that they wanted something exclusive for women to be able to express themselves in a safe environment."

The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission backed the ban.

"The Commission supports the type of events run by Pinkalicious because they offer a disadvantaged group the chance to experience supportive social occasions, feel safe in public spaces and build a sense of belonging," Commission CEO Dr Helen Szoke said.

VCAT has given gay men's pubs, including the Laird Hotel and the Peel Hotel, permission to ban women.

(4) Anti-discrimination laws only apply to Straight Men

Mr Hulls, fix this muddle

Editorial - Melbourne Herald-Sun

July 23, 2009 12:00am

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25821184-24218,00.html

THE VCAT decision to allow a dance party company to ban men from events aimed at lesbian and bisexual women is another example of the confusion surrounding anti-discrimination laws.

Attorney-General Rob Hulls says men-only clubs such as the Melbourne Club and the Athenaeum should legally justify why they do not allow female members.

On the other hand, decisions such as that taken by VCAT over dance party company Pinkalicious make a mockery of Mr Hull's demands.

He also appears to ignore the women's clubs such as the Alexandra and women's gyms such as the Fernwood group that ban male members.

Women were not allowed to cross a white line in the betting ring in the members' reserve at the Melbourne Cup at Flemington until 1982.

This insulting example of discrimination against women was removed by then Labor premier John Cain, but nearly 30 years later it is Labor Premier John Brumby who needs to stop discrimination against either sex.

(5) A third of British women want to give up work to look after their children
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1203295/Why-women-want-work-look-children.html;jsessionid=5A748F48C0D65F9BBB878BCB2CCF8E90

Why a third of women want to give up work to look after their children

By Sarah Harris
Last updated at 10:16 AM on 31st July 2009

More than a third of working mothers want to quit their jobs to look after their children, research suggests.

A further six in ten would like to reduce their hours to spend more time with their young ones, the Government-backed study found.

Less than a fifth said they would choose to increase their hours if there was good affordable childcare available.

The findings fly in the face of Government claims that women would want to go back to work if they could find decent childcare.

Jill Kirby, director of the Centre for Policy Studies think-tank, said: ‘Once again a survey is telling us that the Government’s got it wrong.

‘Continuing to push for more childcare and getting women to work more and longer hours is just not what women want.

‘It’s neither in the interests of children, nor indeed in the interest of women.’ The study was commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and carried out by the independent National Centre for Social Research.

It provides detailed information about mothers’ experiences of working and their attitudes towards it.

Around two-thirds said they have to work because they need the money.

One in eight mothers who have returned to work in the last two years have done so because of their family finances. At the time of the survey, conducted last year, almost two in three mothers were in employment, with around a quarter working full-time.

Some 29 per cent of women with partners were working full-time, while 23 per cent of single mothers were.

The survey reveals mothers’ worries that they will be left behind if they take time off to raise children.

Some 16 per cent of mothers with partners and 12 per cent of single mothers said that their career would suffer if they took a break.

[In addition, a third of single mothers said they would feel ‘useless without a job’.

The report authors noted: ‘This probably reflects the findings from other research, which has shown that some lone mothers feel it is less socially acceptable for them not to work as they would need to rely on state benefits.’ ...

Figures released recently from the Office for National Statistics show that nearly two-thirds of married women hold down a job while bringing up a toddler.

It means that the proportion of working mothers with children under the age of five has doubled in the past 25 years.

The figures, based on a detailed survey of 160,000 homes, found that 62 per cent of married or co-habiting mothers with a child under five had either a full or part-time job in 2007.

Earlier estimates have suggested that the proportion of mothers with young children who go out to work was around 31 per cent in the early 1980s. The figure passed the 50 per cent mark in the late 1990s and hit 55 per cent in 2003.

Critics of the Government claim that the state benefits lavished on single parents at the expense of married and co-habiting couples are to blame for the trend.

(6) Professor of Midwifery says pain during Birth preferable to drugs

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8147179.stm

Page last updated at 08:18 GMT, Monday, 13 July 2009 09:18 UK

Pain in childbirth 'a good thing'

The pain of childbirth may have benefits on which women who opt for painkilling epidurals miss out, a senior male midwife has said.

Dr Denis Walsh, associate professor in midwifery at Nottingham University, said pain was a "rite of passage" which often helped regulate childbirth.

He said it helped strengthen a mother's bond with her baby, and prepared her for the responsibility of motherhood.

But an obstetrician said epidurals were an important option for some women.

Dr Walsh, who wrote on the subject in the journal Evidence Based Midwifery, agreed that in some cases epidurals were very useful.

But he said epidural rates had been rising over the last 20 years, despite the fact that alternative, less invasive ways to manage pain in labour were available.

He said pain in labour was known to have positive physiological effects, such as helping to establish a rhythm to childbirth.

It also triggered the release of endorphins which helped women to adjust to pain.

Dr Walsh said epidurals were known to increase the risk that hormone treatment would be needed to boost contractions, and that devices such as forceps would be needed to complete the birth successfully.

He said: "I am concerned that if we increase epidural rates we do not know the long-term impacts of that."

But he warned that a culture had emerged where most hospitals effectively offered women epidurals on demand.

Official figures show the number of mothers receiving an epidural rose from 17% in 1989 to 1990 to 33% in 2007 to 2008.

Dr Walsh said the NHS should encourage alternative ways to deal with pain such as yoga, hypnosis, massage and birthing pools.

Very useful

Dr Maggie Blott, consultant obstetrician at University College London, agreed that pain could help aid the physiology of labour, and that alternative ways to manage pain were available.

She said: "There are some labours which are very prolonged, some are very complicated, and we need to have epidurals available so that women have access to them if they need them.

"Do not under-estimate the pain of having a baby - it is a very, very intense and painful experience.

"If it is happening hour after hour in a very prolonged labour it is very tiring and wears people down and I think epidurals are very useful in that situation."

Dr Blott also stressed that the use of forceps, or other devices to aid birth was a relatively simple procedure, which many women would prefer to enduring pain over long periods.

Cathy Warwick, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, offered support for her colleague.

She said: "At the moment it is very easy for most women to ask for an epidural, and if they want one they definitely should get one.

"But what Denis is saying is that we want to make sure that women get other options, and that they do get really good support from midwives."

Carrie Longton, from the parenting website Mumsnet, said her contributors had given Dr Walsh's views short shrift.

She said: "It is very difficult to talk about this unless you have been through it. Childbirth is such a different experience to breaking a leg, or breaking an ankle, and it is different for every woman.

"So anybody saying you must not do anything is unwelcome." 

(7) Women should put up with pain of birth, instead of resorting to drugs - UK professor

Just put up with pain of childbirth: UK professor Dr Denis Walsh

Grant McArthur

July 14, 2009 12:00am

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25778069-664,00.html

WOMEN should embrace the full pain of childbirth to bond with their babies instead of resorting to anaesthetic drugs, a leading male midwife says.

UK professor Dr Denis Walsh said the pain of labour should be considered a "rite of passage" and a "purposeful, useful thing".

The pain prepares women for the responsibilities of motherhood, he wrote in an international journal published yesterday.

Australian obstetricians responded by saying women need to be free to make their own decisions.

The number of women having epidurals has risen to 35 per cent of all natural births at the Royal Women's Hospital, but obstetrician Dr Louise Kornman said it was important for women to make individual choices.

"It is a woman's choice and I don't think we have any good evidence to show that you have to have pain to be a good mother," she said.

Dr Walsh said the "epidural epidemic" sweeping maternity units should be abandoned in favour of a "working with pain" approach.

"A large number of women want to avoid pain, but more should be prepared to withstand it," he said.

"Pain in labour is a purposeful, useful thing which has a number of benefits, such as preparing a mother for the responsibility of nurturing a newborn baby."

Dr Walsh said 20 per cent of epidurals were given to women who did not need them.

He said celebrity births and TV and film portrayals had contributed to a culture of pain relief as normal - even though labour pain was natural, healthy and temporary.

"It has never been safer to have a baby, yet it appears women have never been more frightened," he said.

Risk-averse doctors were increasingly providing epidurals on demand, he said.

But Dr Walsh warned they increased medical risks such as prolonged first and second stages of labour and the chance of the baby's head being in the wrong place.

He called on health authorities to encourage women to use yoga, hypnosis, massage, hydrotherapy and support from their partners as natural ways of alleviating pain.

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists president Dr Ted Weaver said some women benefited from triumphing over the struggle of childbirth.

But others could not cope with the pain and should be given every option to manage their own labour.

He said greater attention should be given to supporting women through labour.

"If a woman does get one-on-one maternity care from a midwife she is less likely to need an epidural," he said.

"Maybe our maternity system does need to change a bit to allow that to happen.

"What we want to get away from is the sort of maternity care where mothers are given an epidural to shut them up so they can . . . be baby-sat while the labour progresses.

(8) Rabbi urges Orthodox Jewish women to have 12 kids

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3744525,00.html

'Want to get married? Plan on having 12 kids'

Renowned Rabbi David Batzri comes up with creative solution for thousands of single women participating in prayer assembly in Jerusalem on 'respectable mating.' Rabbi appeals to women not to put off pregnancy once married, says 'using birth control damages household income'

Kobi Nahshoni
Published: 07.10.09, 13:20 / Israel Jewish Scene

Have at least 12 children, do not use birth control, and continue having children after 40. This is the formula for overcoming sterility and long-term bachelorhood in the Religious Zionism movement put forth by renowned Rabbi David Batzri.

In a women's assembly in Jerusalem held Thursday in Jerusalem, the rabbi asserted that "a girl who wishes to marry must take upon herself already on the first date an obligation to have no less than 12 children." In addition, he encouraged women to put pressure on one another not to delay pregnancy after getting married and not to wait long in between births.

The rabbi's remarks were reported by Kol Hai radio correspondent Dvora Ginzburg.

Rabbi Batzri, a respected kabbalist and head of Nahar Shalom Yeshiva, participated in a prayer assembly held in the Old City's Jewish Quarter and at the Western Wall together with about one thousand single women searching for "respectable mating." Under the title "Women in Wait," they heard tips for getting themselves out of their distressful situation.

The rabbi claimed that using birth control damages household income. He said, "When you use control methods, you stop abundance. When you see a woman whose youngest child is three, this means that she has been using control methods for three years. Convince her not to do this."

'Don't believe the doctors'

The rabbi also spoke on the issue of abortions. "Doctors are liars," he said. "Don't believe them. They tell you that the fetus is not healthy. This is only to protect themselves from lawsuits. It is forbidden to listen to doctors. Women who have consulted with me and didn't abort their child have the most healthy and righteous children."

Rabbi Batzri added, "Even at the age of 40 and up, it is possible to give birth, and it isn't dangerous."

During the gathering, prayers were held for the participating women. Later, they also heard a lecture from Rebbetzin Yemima Mizrahi, whose lessons and talks have become increasingly popular in recent years.

"When a girl goes on a date, she doesn't come alone, but says to the Holy One, blessed be He, 'Come along! We're going on a date,'" said Mizrahi. She later grumbled that "the only exercise single girls do is moving the mouse on Dosi-Date (a popular religious dating website)."

Mizrahi also claimed that women having a hard time finding a match have issues respecting their parents or tend to respect their fathers more than their mothers.

Mizrahi said she was recently asked during a radio interview what her opinion is on desperate single girls who "do forbidden things." She said the question sorrowed her, and responded, "This is a fringe phenomenon. Most girls are growing stronger, especially after the Gush Katif evacuation."